Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will address amendments Nos. 5 and 15, 16, 17 and 19, tabled by the Government, and amendment No. 18, tabled by Senators Moynihan, Hoey, Sherlock and Wall.

I welcome the amendment proposed to this section regarding the appointment of board members. Similar amendments were put forward while the Bill was progressing through the Dáil. At that stage, the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, undertook to review this section and bring forward amendments. I am pleased to bring forward Government amendments providing that board members shall have certain expertise, two members shall be nominated by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and one member shall be nominated by each of my colleagues, the Ministers for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and Enterprise, Trade and Employment. We also propose that a member be nominated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Two members shall be appointed on the recommendation of the Public Appointments Service and three members by the registration body. The effect of these amendments is to strengthen the independence of the board. The board will be completely independent of the registration body.

I welcome the amendments brought forward and the Government amendments I have tabled reflect the discussions we have had with Members on both sides of the House.