Vol. 429 No. 7
112 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Health if he will give a list of the semi-State boards under this aegis where the 40 per cent quota of women has been adhered to by the Government since it accepted the recommendations of the first statement of the Commission on the Status of Women in April, 1991; and if he will further list the boards where the quota has fallen below 40 per cent.
In making appointments to boards since April 1991, the 40 per cent quota of women has been adhered to in the cases of An Bord Altranais, An Bord Uchtála (The Adoption Board) and the National Social Services Board. In the case of both the Health Research Board and the St. Luke's and St. Anne's Hospital Boards the quota has fallen below this figure. Since I have taken up office as Minister for Health I have appointed just one board, that was the Adoption Board, where out of a total of nine persons appointed, seven were women.
I should add that the Government's policy in relation to this matter was communicated to the various bodies who nominate persons for appointment to boards for which I am responsible. However, the Deputy will appreciate that I am constrained in the case of certain appointments by the need to adhere to statutory nominating procedures and that I have a general obligation to ensure that the boards of agencies for which I am responsible have the necessary skills and experience within their membership to fully discharge their functions in an efficient and effective manner.
