Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yes, the Senator will, and we will have ample opportunity to listen to him prattle on.

The point has been made by the two Senators who spoke on the amendments that what is proposed is a break-up of the old boys' club. I do not necessarily agree with Senator Norris who said that expertise rather than gender balance is important in terms of the board. I agree that expertise on the board is important but it has been shown that the addition of women to boards, including the boards of companies, improves transparency and the decision-making process, and they also lift the energy of the company, in this case, the energy of the greyhound board. We need to support a cultural change in the greyhound industry. For too long its culture has been one of the old boys' club with everybody patting each other's back and nobody on the ground knowing what is going on and being kept in the dark. We should do away with the old boys' club and bring women onto the board. I agree with the amendments proposed by Senators Ruane and Paul Daly to section 9.