Vol. 464 No. 3
61 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the plans, if any, he has to reconsider the appointment of a person (details supplied) to the Board of the Independent Radio and Television Commission in view of the tenor of his correspondence recently to Deputy M. McDowell; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8059/96]
I have no such plans. I have utmost confidence in the appointments to the Independent Radio and Television Commission. There is no interventionist role for me in correspondence between individuals and Deputies. Interference in the day to day affairs of any autonomous body, as is envisaged in the question, is not acceptable to me as Minister.
For the information of the Deputy, I would point out that paragraph 3 of the schedule to the Radio and Television Act, 1988, provides that a member of the Independent Radio and Television Commission may be removed by Government for stated reasons if, but only if, resolutions calling for his or her removal are passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas.
