Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

He has made the argument on a number of occasions that unless this Bill is brought through, the culture of cronyism will continue. I was grateful to Senator Boyhan for making an inquiry of the Courts Service as to how many appointments have been made while the Minister, Deputy Ross, was sitting at the Cabinet table. It appears it amounts to 45 at all levels of the Judiciary from the Supreme Court down to the District Court. I have made the point repeatedly that none of the appointments made while the Minister, Deputy Ross, has been at the Cabinet table has attracted any controversy. None of them has been tainted with any publicly uttered charge of cronyism or political discrimination of any kind. The appointments that have been made by this Government, notwithstanding the presence of the Minister, Deputy Ross, at the Cabinet table, have been of a high quality and, generally, have been accepted.