Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

However, there is the minor problem that in the Government there is a person who was party to Government decisions to make the 36 appointments to which I referred who says that the only way to stop patronage and favour giving is to alter the way in which those people have been selected. We will not return to that again, but these are disgraceful remarks. He is either a member of a Government that acts as a single, collective authority or he is not.He should stop making remarks which cast a shadow over appointees under the present system because as far as I am concerned they have not been incidents of patronage or favours granted. I say that in a spirit of generosity and truthfulness.