TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny ruled out appointees to State boards, other than chairpersons, appearing before Oireachtas committees to determine their suitability.

“Enhanced accountability to the Oireachtas by State bodies, in respect of their performance, will be put in place, both through enhanced provision for parliamentary questions and through a renewed system of committee oversight in line with the programme for government,” he said.

He said the appearance of incoming chairpersons before committees to discuss their views on the role of the State body concerned, and their approach to the issues arising, would provide an appropriate framework for Oireachtas oversight in the appointments process.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said Mr Kenny’s response was a reversal of previous positions he had adopted on the issue. “It is now very clear that the Government will appoint chairpersons and that a person will only resign if he or she makes a fool of himself or herself before the designated committee,” he added. What was happening was the appearance of change rather than substance. Before entering Government, Mr Kenny was committed to the establishment of a public appointments service which would handle the process and give Ministers a shortlist informing them of who was qualified and who was not, he said.

Mr Kenny said what the Government was doing represented a major advance. “I can point to a number of performances that certainly were less than adequate on the basis of what happened previously, where people were appointed on the basis of friendship as distinct from ability or talent.” Changes in the system, through parliamentary questions and the committee system, would lead to increased oversight.