Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like Senator Buttimer, I thank the Minister for his engagement at the committee. We spent many hours in discussion and teasing out not just this legislation. As the Minister has rightly identified, this is effectively a stop-gap measure, to paraphrase slightly, in respect of what needs to happen regarding the composition of the board.

I have certainly been taken by our engagement as a committee and individually with Michael Kingston in respect of his expertise, knowledge and personal story in the context of this legislation. He has campaigned for a long time for a reconfiguration, reorganisation and reorientation of the system. He would say the system is broken and that this stop-gap measure is a sticking plaster. He has referred at length to the necessity for the Clinch report to be published and to take the recommendations from that. When I spoke to him recently, he reminded me that there is a Lacey report dating back to 2010. He also reminded me that a former colleague of mine, and then Minister, Noel Dempsey, drafted a ministerial order which, effectively, to use the words of Mr. Kingston, has never been implemented. My understanding is that the Lacey report in 2010 contained a template for draft legislation.

I am concerned that even though we are pushing through this legislation now, perhaps more should have been done to get that into the Bill. I accept, however, that there is much going on, but that that aspect must be resolved. Knowing the Minister as long as I do, I have every expectation that he will drive this matter the rest of the way and that we will get the significant change being requested. There are people with differing views around the table, but it is important that we move onto the next phase without delay and initiate and enact the legislation. It is long overdue and recognised as important and we must deliver on it.