Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has agreed with the proposition that the Government cannot say, "We will be appointing so and so Chief Justice and we have in the back of our mind to appoint so and so from the Court of Appeal to the vacancy". That would be an abuse of this new wonderful system we have, according to him, so we have to open everything, at every stage, throughout this consequential, sequential appointment process-----