Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The knee-jerk reaction of the Minister is regrettable. It is nothing to do with the independence of a body that it should receive a direction which it should take into account. The phraseology of the amendment does not trench on the independence of the commission at all. If we go back to the section that we have just approved, section 50, considering that we have been told that experience is not to feature, states:

The power to prepare a statement of requisite skills and attributes under this Part includes a power to prepare different statements of requisite skills and attributes by reference to—(a) different judicial offices, or

That is fair enough. It continues: "(b) in the case of judicial offices in the same court, different classes of business in that court that it is reasonably anticipated a particular appointee to such office would deal with." The principle is already there.