The information sought by the Deputy is in the following table. It should be noted that in total there are 29 agencies under my Department's remit with a total of 236 individuals currently serving on boards. It is important to note that the boards of each body are appointed in different fashions, with some positions being ex officio positions, some worker directors or others directly appointed by me, or by Government or with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. In almost all cases the legislation provides that a Minister may appoint up to a certain number of individuals. There is rarely a requirement that all positions be filled, and as is outlined below, there are good reasons why not all positions may be filled.
My Department advertised new procedures for appointment to boards on Friday 8th April 2011 which provided for any interested party to express an interest in becoming a member of the board of any of the State agencies for which I have responsibility. All appointments from that date have followed these procedures. I have received more than 400 expressions of interest since the new procedures were advertised and more than 40 of these individuals have been appointed to various Boards under the Department's aegis. Given the importance of ensuring the right mix of skills and experience on every board, appointments are not necessarily confined to those who have made an expression of interest. On becoming Minister, I was particularly concerned that on many of the boards appointed under the previous Government there were obvious skills and experience gaps, and in my appointments to date, I have sought to rectify this.
It should be noted that I have, from time to time, decided not to fill all existing vacancies. This is the case with a number of smaller bodies under my Department's aegis, where the scale of the agency's operation would not justify a larger board. Similarly, in a number of cases where the legislation provides for a very large board I have taken the decision not to fill a number of positions. Therefore, where there is flexibility under the relevant Act, I have on occasion appointed less than the maximum number of directors. I have also made considerable efforts to select suitably skilled candidates even if this involved some delay in making the appointment. I believe that when making appointments to positions that carry terms over a number of years, suitable care must be taken to ensure that appropriate individual are appointed.
A decision on the separation of Cork and Shannon airports, as envisaged under the State Airports Act 2004 was not made until 2012. As a consequence, when the terms of appointment of the directors of both boards expired on 31 December 2011, a decision was made then not to fill all vacancies on each board until a substantive decision was made on separation and on the future structure of the DAA.
On 27th November 2012, the Government confirmed its earlier decision in principle to establish Shannon as an independent autonomous airport and to merge it with a restructured Shannon Development to form a new publicly owned commercial entity. In light of this decision vacancies on both the Cork and Shannon Airport Authority Boards will be filled during the course of 2013.
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State Board
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Vacancy Dates From:
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National Roads Authority
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7 October 2012
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National Roads Authority
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31 October 2012
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National Roads Authority
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31 October 2012
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Bus Átha Cliath
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1 June 2012
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Bus Átha Cliath
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1 June 2012
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Iarnród Éireann
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17 May 2012
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Iarnród Éireann
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17 May 2012
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Railway Procurement Agency
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1 January 2013
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Railway Procurement Agency
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6 August 2012
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Railway Safety Advisory Council
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16 May 2011
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Railway Safety Advisory Council
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11 May 2010
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Taxi Advisory Committee to NTA
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9 August 2012
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Dublin Airport Authority plc
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6 December 2012
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Dublin Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2012
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Shannon Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Shannon Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Shannon Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Shannon Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Shannon Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Shannon Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Cork Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Cork Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Cork Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Cork Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Cork Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Cork Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Cork Airport Authority plc
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31 December 2011
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Irish Aviation Authority
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12 November 2012
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Marine Casualty Investigation Board
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29 December 2012
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Port of Cork Company
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30 September 2012
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Drogheda Port Company
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12 June 2012
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Drogheda Port Company
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14 December 2012
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Dublin Port Company
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18 September 2012
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Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company
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30 September 2012
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Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company
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12 June 2012
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Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company
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3 December 2012
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Shannon Foynes Port Company
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29 August 2012
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Port of Waterford Company
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12 June 2012
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Galway Harbour Company
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21 November 2012
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New Ross Port Company
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24 April 2012
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New Ross Port Company
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12 June 2012
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New Ross Port Company
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12 June 2012
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Wicklow Port Company
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12 June 2012
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Wicklow Port Company
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12 June 2012
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National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA)
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15 November 2010
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National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA)
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23 March 2012
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National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA)
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23 March 2012
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National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA)
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23 March 2012
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Irish Sports Council (ISC)
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14 January 2013
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