An interesting innovation in the Broadcasting Bill, currently before the Oireachtas, is the proposal that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications would have a role in the appointment of  some members of the new Broadcasting single superbody, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).

Under the legislation, Minister Ryan has proposed that what he calls “a significant proportion of the appointments” to the new broadcasting authority, as well as to the boards of RTE and TG4 would be “subsequent to the advice of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications”.

What will this mean in practice? The Minister told the Seanad in his Second Stage address that he wants the Committee “to be proactive” in this matter.

Already Fine Gael have said that they want to expand this to a vetting role on appointments, which conjures up the possibility of hearings into appointments to Boards and the background of potential appointees being examined closely by the opposition.

Even innovative Green Ministers are unlikely to agree to that.