Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 74 deals with section 28. The chief executive officer will be appointed for an ordinary term. This was proposed in the heads of the Bill and the appointment is in place. Appointments to public bodies are well understood and operate according to established principles, which I do not see merit in altering. We also need clarity of purpose and continuity of leadership in the establishment phase of the agency. This will be crucial in laying the foundations for success. Disrupting the term will not be supportive of these efforts. I also note that the proposed 30-month term is a mere two and a half years and would seem unhelpfully short for the process of establishing a new agency.

With regard to amendment No. 75, the provision as already worded in the Bill is in line with similar provisions in comparable legislation. It would place the officeholder in an invidious position were he or she to be required to attend a committee and be asked to comment on Government policy, which, as impartial public servants, officeholders are charged with implementing. The existing provision already contains the capacity for requiring the CEO to communicate with the committee in an appropriate manner and for limiting the term of office of the CEO. For these reasons, I do not propose to accept the two amendments.