I move amendment No. 1:—
To add to the section a new sub-section as follows:—
(2) Within three months after the passing of this Act the Minister shall appoint a representative of labour to the board, and he shall hold office on the terms and conditions prescribed by the Minister.
I would like to point to the fact that the Tourist Board is of great importance. While we may not be able to prove that certain interests are represented on the board, it is quite obvious that the tourist people and the hoteliers have, if you like, an indirect representation on it. While the Bill was under discussion here on the Second Stage the Minister said he did not agree there should be a representative from a certain organisation on the board. I am not asking that that be done in any strict sense. However, I do say this. We are dealing with such a question of vital importance where there is such a large content of labour and the need for good relations between hoteliers and the trade union organisations, that I feel it would be desirable if we had a representative of labour on the board. I feel it is not necessary for me to elaborate on that fact. We are satisfied that it is advisable to have representatives on boards of many semi-State organisations. What are the qualifications of some of the people on these boards? I am at a loss to know why these people were selected and what they represent. We have them in the sugar company and in Bord na Móna.
There is a large labour content, as I have already said, in the tourist industry who are putting their skill, their energy, and their collective ability at the disposal of the trade. They should, therefore, have somebody representing them on the board. The tourist industry is one where there are many conflicting interests involved. I feel that the labour representative might be taken from the Congress of Irish Unions rather than from the particular organisation to which the Minister objected in his statement when this matter came before the House. I would suggest, for more reasons than one, that the Minister should agree to appoint a representative of labour on the Tourist Board. There is need for a better understanding between the people who are on those boards and those who are engaged in the ordinary day to day occupations in the whole industry. It is very desirable to have a representative of labour on those boards. It is not necessary for me to elaborate on that. I hope the Minister will reconsider the matter and appoint a representative from labour. He need not appoint a representative from the particular organisation to which he objected here but he can make a selection from the congress to which those men are affiliated.