Since 18 October 1991, a total of 89 appointments have been made to 13 boards under the aegis of my Department. None of the members so appointed have made or signed a specific declaration of interest in respect of their membership of the particular board.
The obligations placed on board members in regard to possible conflict of interest vary from board to board, depending on the nature of the board's activities. The majority of boards have such matters dealt with in standing orders, codes of conduct or other regulations.
In October of last year the then Minister for Health wrote to the relevant bodies to emphasise the high standard expected of members of State boards with particular reference to confidentiality and conflicts of interest. I have also issued to all boards for which I have responsibility a copy of the recently adopted Government guidelines for State bodies.
I am satisfied that these measures will combine to ensure that the boards of State agencies in the health sector will continue to operate to the very high ethical standards that have traditionally applied.
