I second the amendment proposed by my party leader in the House, Senator Darragh O'Brien. I also endorse the comments made by Senator Sean D. Barrett with whom I sit on the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications. Yesterday's meeting of the committee was unique in that members of all parties and none unanimously welcomed the appointment of the chairman-designate of Dublin Bus, Mr. Ultan Courtney. Listening to Senator Darragh O'Brien, it occurred to me that we could further extend the system of having chairpersons-designate of State boards make a presentation before the relevant committees in which they inform members of their qualifications for the job in question. Those whom the Government proposes to appoint to State boards should appear before the relevant committee. While the Government could point to the large number of such appointments, it should be noted that these appointments are staggered. Appointments to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, for example, have been staggered in the past five years. It would not be beyond the capacity of the relevant committees to hear from people whom the Government was proposing to appoint to State boards. This would allow members of committees to establish the credentials, credibility and qualifications of Government nominees. It would also be interesting to establish whether, under such a system, some of those being proposed would withdraw from the process because they would come under scrutiny. I have no doubt that if the gentleman to whom Senator Darragh O'Brien referred, Mr. McNulty, were to come before the relevant committee, he would not last five minutes as all members would send the strong message to the Government that he was not qualified to serve on the board of the IMMA.

The Senator's point is not relevant.

It is relevant in the context of the proposal I have made.

Senators may not discuss the character of individuals, as it is grossly unfair to do so.

We are discussing the qualifications, rather than character, of the individual in question.

On a point of order, Senator Paschal Mooney has impugned a person's character and reputation, which is not fair.

I have done nothing more than what others have done, namely, question whether the gentleman is qualified to be a member of the board of the IMMA.

The Senator went further than that.

That is exactly what I did. I also referred to the possibility of him coming before a committee to be questioned on his qualifications. I do not know what would be the outcome of such a process, but I can surmise what it would be in the light of the debate surrounding the gentlemen in question. I am not in any way impugning his character but speaking, as Senator Darragh O'Brien has done, about his qualifications to sit on the board of the IMMA and the reasons behind his appointment to it. It would be worth considering, as part of a new process of appointing people to State boards, whether we should give committees of the Houses an opportunity to discuss with Government nominees whether they are qualified for the relevant position. I am not saying for one moment that a committee would throw out a nomination. As Senator Sean D. Barrett will concur, at yesterday's meeting all sides were so impressed by Mr. Courtney's curriculum vitae that members complimented the Minister on finding and proposing him for a very important job. I wish Mr. Courtney well in his new position.