asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry when it is proposed to appoint a chairman for the Central Fisheries Board.

I have appointed Mr. Kevin P. Loftus as Chairman of the Central Fisheries Board.

Can the Minister tell us about Mr. Loftus' background? What is his involvement in relation to fisheries?

He was a member of the board of conservators. He has been chairman of salmon angling and trout angling clubs and has represented the country on at least two occasions in trout fishing competitions. He has a life-long interest in fishing.

Was not the primary reason for his appointment the fact that he was a member of the Fine Gael Party in the Minister's constituency?

Will the Minister tell us where the new chairman of the board comes from?

This is the second political animal that has been appointed.

He comes from Ballina, County Mayo.

Is it the same town as the Minister?

Would the Minister not have considered it more beneficial to have appointed someone who did not have close connections with politics, particularly with locally based politics in the Minister's own constituency? It would have been more beneficial to appoint a neutral person.

This was not a political appointment.

Are we expected to believe that? We do not.