Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 33:

In page 14, line 18, to delete “The Minister” and substitute “The Oireachtas”.

As I stated in regard to other amendments, these amendments transfer responsibility from the Minister to the Oireachtas to ensure candidates and board members are satisfactory and have been properly vetted by the Oireachtas. I do not believe it is appropriate for the Minister for Health only to be allowed to appoint members to the board. Such appointments should be transparent. Members of the board of the National Children's Hospital need to be appointed in a transparent manner so that they can questioned on behalf of the public by the Oireachtas. We have a history of Ministers appointing often unsuitable members to boards.

Amendment No. 32 sought to add a new subsection disqualifying someone from holding office or from being a member of the board if found to have a conflict of interest, including any prospect of financial gain. This is eminently sensible as a situation cannot be accepted where somebody is making decisions from which he or she can benefit financially. However, in order to digest what the Minister of State said, I will withdraw this amendment and speak to my colleagues about resubmission in the Dáil.