Gerry Adams
Question:4. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the appointments he has made to State boards. [2302/13]
View answerTuesday, 26 March 2013
Questions (4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Gerry Adams
Question:5. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the new procedures introduced for appointments to State boards. [2303/13]
View answerGerry Adams
Question:6. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the role of his Department in co-ordinating a whole of Government approach to appointments to State boards. [2304/13]
View answer
Joe Higgins
Question:7. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach if he has made any recent appointments to State boards. [12513/13]
View answer
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:8. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach the appointments he has made to State boards and the process being employed in these selections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15010/13]
View answerOral answers (25 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 8, inclusive, together.
The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, is the only State body under the aegis of my Department. The NESC provides guidance to Government on strategic issues for Ireland's economic and social development. Since coming into office on 9 March 2011, I have made appointments to the NESC, which are set out in the table. The appointments were made in accordance with the National Economic and Social Development Office Act 2006 and SI 603/2010, National Economic and Social Council (Alteration of Composition) Order 2010. I appoint members specifically on the basis of nominations from business and employer interests, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, farming and agricultural interests, the community and voluntary sector and the environmental sector. I may also appoint up to six public servants, of whom at least one shall represent the Taoiseach and one shall represent the Minister for Finance. Those appointed represent the relevant Departments to ensure the NESC's work is integrated with Government policy-making. I also appointed eight independent members to the NESC in 2011, in most cases from the academic sector. These appointments were made following careful consideration of the necessary skills, knowledge and expertise relevant to the functions of the council, as required by the legislation.
There has also been one appointment to the National Statistics Board, NSB, since I took office. An assistant secretary at my Department was appointed to the NSB in line with the provisions of section 18(1)(b) of the Statistics Act 1993.
In 2011, the Government made a number of changes to the system for making appointments to State boards. Under these new arrangements, Departments now invite expressions of interest from the public in vacancies on the boards of bodies under their aegis on their websites. In making their decisions, Ministers are not necessarily confined to those who make expressions of interest but must, of course, be satisfied that appointees have relevant qualifications. The Government also decided that persons being proposed for appointment as chairpersons of State boards would be required to make themselves available to the appropriate Oireachtas committee to discuss the approach they would take to their role as chairperson and their views about the future contribution of the body or board in question. Following that discussion, decisions would be taken by the Minister or the Government, as appropriate, to confirm the nominee as chairperson.
My Department's role has been to apply these new procedures itself as appropriate and to communicate them to other Departments. It is, of course, a matter for each Department to implement these new procedures themselves. Any questions about the application of procedures should be tabled to the relevant Minister in each case.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
Table: Details of appointments made by the Taoiseach to NESC since 9 March 2011
|
Name |
Organisation |
Date of appointment |
|
Mr. Martin Fraser, Chairperson of NESC |
Secretary General, Department of the Taoiseach |
August 2011 |
|
Mr. John Shaw, Deputy Chairperson of NESC |
Assistant Secretary, Department of the Taoiseach |
January 2012 |
|
Prof. Edgar Morgenroth |
Associate Research Professor, Economic and Social Research Institute |
June 2011 |
|
Prof. John McHale |
Economist, National University of Ireland, Galway |
June 2011 |
|
Prof. Mary Daly |
Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, Senior Research Fellow of Green Templeton College, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford |
June 2011 |
|
Prof. Anna Davis |
Department of Geography, Trinity College Dublin |
June 2011 |
|
Prof. Seán Ó Riain |
Department of Sociology, National University of Ireland, Maynooth |
June 2011 |
|
Dr. Michael O’Sullivan |
Head of Portfolio Strategy and Thematic Research, Credit Suisse, London |
June 2011 |
|
Ms. Mary Walsh |
Chartered Accountant |
June 2011 |
|
Dr. Michelle Norris |
Senior Lecturer, School of Applied Social Science, University College Dublin. |
July 2011 |
|
Mr. Shay Cody |
IMPACT |
September 2011 |
|
Mr. John Murphy |
Secretary General, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation |
November 2011 |
|
Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú |
Secretary General, Department of Education and Skills |
February 2012 |
|
Mr. John Moran |
Secretary General, Department of Finance |
March 2012 |
When Fine Gael was in opposition, it and the Labour Party were quite animated about the issue of cronyism and corruption as it pertained to Fianna Fáil and State boards. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport went so far as to publish a Bill proposing publication of the qualifications of each candidate nominated for a role on a State board, which was not a bad proposition.
Of the people appointed by the Government in the past two years, more than 60 have had links to Fine Gael or the Labour Party. The Taoiseach spoke about the new procedures for appointments that have been put in place, but Ministers have essentially ignored applications through the public advertisement system established by the Government. I will provide some examples. Only 15 of the 64 people appointed to State boards under the auspices of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation applied through the public advertisement system. Fifteen out of 64 is a very bad record. Of the 40 who applied for positions on the board of HIQA, only one was appointed. The Minister for Health appointed 52 people to State boards recently, including a Fine Gael councillor who was appointed to the board of St. James's Hospital and a former Fine Gael programme manager who was appointed to the board of HIQA. The Minister for Education and Skills has appointed just five of the 190 members of the public who applied to sit on the three education boards under his remit. I refer to Léargas, Quality and Qualifications Ireland and the Higher Education Authority. None of the 49 who applied through the Public Appointments Service to sit on the board of Léargas was deemed appropriate to be appointed.
Would it be better if the Deputy put those questions to the individual Ministers?
They relate clearly to the question that has been asked. I am giving the Taoiseach examples of the shortfall in the system. He spoke about the appointments he has made in respect of the NESC, but I have a broader question for him as Head of Government. What role does he have or what actions will he take to ensure that Departments and Ministers in his Government make full use of the new public system? How can he ensure that people who put themselves forward for these appointments are given full, due and fair consideration? I raise this issue not to cast aspersions on the qualifications or suitability of anybody appointed to date but because the Government was so keen to get away from the cronyism, real or perceived, of the previous Administration and put a new system in place to increase transparency and open up the process, yet Ministers are not playing ball. All the evidence reflects that while applications are being taken, the insider system of appointment is very much alive and well on the Taoiseach's watch. What will he do about that?
I was interested in the Deputy's initial comment because she referred to appointments in the context of what she described as cronyism and corruption. If she has evidence of corruption with regard to any appointment made by the Government, I would certainly like to hear it. If she has that evidence, she should send it to the appropriate authorities forthwith. I know she does not mean it in that sense, but somebody outside the House might take the view that when she mentioned that word, she had evidence of corrupt practices of persons who might have been appointed.
With regard to her comments about the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, more than half of those appointed to agencies of his Department were available for appointment from off the list. Clearly, public servants who do not apply are appointed to these boards, and if a person is reappointed, he or he does not apply either.
Five questions were put to me.
The first question was about the appointments I had made to State boards; the second was about new procedures; in the third I was asked for a report on the role of my Department in co-ordinating a whole of government approach; while the fourth was about recent appointments to State boards and any appointment I had made to a State board. I have answered these questions.
On the question about the public advertising of vacancies, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport published on its website an advertisement seeking expressions of interest in appointments as chairpersons of the boards of CIE companies and the Railway Procurement Agency and also to the boards of agencies under the aegis of that Department. It also advertised on its website vacancies arising before the end of 2011 on the boards of bodies under its aegis. These included An Post, Bord na Móna and Ordnance Survey Ireland. The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht advertised for board members for the National Concert Hall, the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Arts Council. The Department of Finance sought expressions of interest in appointments to the boards of directors of the recapitalised banks. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine advertised vacancies on the boards of Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Coillte and the National Stud. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs advertised vacancies in the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board and so on. The Department of Social Protection advertised vacancies at the Citizens Information Board.
People were appointed following requests for expressions of interest in the filling of vacancies. I will cite some examples. The chief executive of Fujitsu was appointed to EirGrid. The head of regulation and public policy at O2 Ireland was also appointed to EirGrid. The chair of the Accenture Institute for Public Services Value, a member of the Smurfit Business School advisory board, Vivienne Jupp, was appointed as chairperson of CIE. The chairperson of Bord Bia is the chairman of Jacob Fruitfield in Ireland, Mr. Michael Carey, who has held senior positions in a number of multinational food companies. The managing director of Global Intelligence, Ms Rhona Holland, was appointed to Bord Bia. People with exceptional competency and experience cannot be forced to apply for these positions.
The responsibility of the Department of the Taoiseach is to set out the requirements. Ministers bring forward nominations for chairpersons of boards who make themselves available to Oireachtas committees. This is a valuable progression. They express their views and inform the committees of what they intend to bring to the board in question. The committee concerned and the Government then consider their applications.
If Deputy Mary Lou McDonald has evidence of corrupt practices engaged in by anyone, I suggest she send the information to the appropriate authorities.
I suggest we leave the word "corruption" out of it. Will the Taoiseach agree that he entered government promising a revolution in how the State was governed? Really, we did not get a revolution but rather more of the same and a counter-revolution in many areas in economic and financial matters. In view of the fact that so few of the people who applied to be considered for membership of State boards were appointed by the Taoiseach's Ministers - for example, there were 49 applicants for Léargas, none of whom was appointed by the Minister for Education and Skills - and that many Fine Gael and Labour Party activists, supporters and members have been appointed to the board, is it not true that there is the same old patronage by the Government in making appointments to State boards, with a light coat of varnish of pretend consultation and democracy being the best way to put it? In the two years since he was elected Taoiseach, has he written or spoken to any Minister to look for particular individuals to be appointed to State boards? Who were they? What were their political affiliations? Were they appointed?
The only body directly under the aegis of my Department is the NESC, National Economic and Social Council, of which the chairperson is the Secretary General of the Department. The deputy chairperson is also in the Department of the Taoiseach. I do not think the Deputy would object to the trade union members who have been appointed to that body. These individuals are nominated by the trade unions. I will cite some examples. They include Ms Sally Anne Kinahan of the ICTU; Mr. Shay Cody of IMPACT; Mr. David Begg of the ICTU; and Mr. Manus O'Riordan of the Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union. The agricultural and farming organisation members appointed include individuals from the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, ICOS; the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association; the IFA and Macra na Feirme. The community and voluntary sector members are from Social Justice Ireland, the INOU, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the National Youth Council of Ireland. The environment sector members are from Friends of the Earth, the environmental pillar of social partnership. There are representatives of the Departments of Finance, Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Education and Skills, the Environment, Community and Local Government. Independent members include Professor Edgar Morganroth, associate research professor, ESRI; Professor John McHale of NUIG; Professor Mary Daly, professor of sociology and social policy, senior research fellow of Green Templeton College, department of social policy and intervention, University of Oxford; Professor Anna Davis, Trinity College Dublin; Professor Seán Ó Riain, NUI Maynooth; Dr. Michael O'Sullivan, head of UK research and global asset allocation, Credit Suisse; Dr. Michelle Norris, School of Applied Social Science, Geary Institute, University College Dublin; and Mary Walsh, chartered accountant. These individuals have been nominated by organisations or following careful consideration by the Department. They are all eminently qualified to contribute to the council.
Did the Taoiseach look for-----
I do not have the information sought on appointments made by Ministers to State boards under the aegis of their Departments. I do not write to Ministers about their business, except to ensure they fulfil their responsibilities in so far as the programme for Government is concerned. The change in procedure, whereby chairpersons of State boards are called before Oireachtas committees to make their case for appointment and set out their qualifications for appointment, is an important progression. I hope to keep this system running as effectively and competently as possible.
They did a lot of caffling.
The claim that there would be a democratic revolution in how government was conducted has not translated into reality. It appears as if the cronies of one tribe are replaced with those of the other. The hope was that there would be a genuine opening up of the process to allow people who were outside the cliques and the networks, outside the existing organisations, to have a real input into how the different agencies and sectors linked with the Government were overseen, managed and developed. I have deep concerns about the management of the harbour company in my area.
The Deputy asked a question. I remind him that he asked about the appointments the Taoiseach had made to State boards and the process employed.
Yes, the process employed.
Can we, please, stick to that question?
We have seven and a half minutes left and there are other questions to deal with. We can spend the seven and a half minutes on a discussion of this issue but it means we will have discussed eight questions in the space of an hour. Will the Deputy please stick to the appointments the Taoiseach is making? He does not appoint the chairman of the board of a harbour company.
He has a role in the process through which-----
The Deputy did not ask that question.
He sets an example. I was just giving it as an example of the process through which selections for State boards occur and saying that it is the case that it does not match up to the promises of a democratic revolution. I do not want to cast any aspersions on the people the Taoiseach himself appointed. I am sure all the people the Taoiseach mentioned are very capable. It is interesting, however, that almost all of them are full-time officials or academics. They are full-time officials of NGOs and unions, academics and business people.
Another tribe.
They are important sectors and that is civil society. While I accept that it is right and proper that they should be represented, where is the opening up of appointments to those who are not within those loops? I am talking about ordinary people who are a bit further down society's hierarchy and who might have a real interest in and knowledge of these areas. They may work on the shop floor and the front line but they never get access to boards. They never really have input into these areas. Until people see a change there, the perception will continue that the cronies of one political tribe or another dominate these boards.
Ordinary people, whatever Deputy Boyd Barrett means by that, are appointed to and serve on boards depending on their competence, expertise and experience.
I mean people who are not full-time officials or part of the academic elite.
Everyone will agree that those appointed to a board should have a degree of competence and experience to offer. Long before the Deputy was elected to the House, there was extensive lobbying for multiple appointments to boards. If the Deputy were to examine the record, he would find that circumstances have changed very much.
Not really.
The Constitutional Convention chose 66 citizens at random - ordinary people as Deputy Boyd Barrett says - to deal with and make recommendations on very important constitutional issues. I do not have any complaint about any of those ordinary citizens. I am sure they contribute in important ways to the recommendations. The board of the NESC which operates under the aegis of my Department is composed of business and employer interests. Looking at the board members, I do not know Karin Dubsky of the environmental pillar but perhaps Deputy Boyd Barrett does. Michael Ewing is appointed under the environmental pillar of social partnership, Oisín Coghlan is from Friends of the Earth and Siobhan Egan is appointed under the environmental pillar. I am sure they are very competent people who have something to offer the NESC. I do not know if Deputy Boyd Barrett would classify them as "different", "extraordinary" or "ordinary". They contribute very well to the environmental pillar as part of the NESC. Far be it from me to make any disparaging remarks about any of them. They are all eminently qualified, ordinary or not as Deputy Boyd Barrett likes to categorise them. They make a valuable contribution to what we are at here.
I can only speak for the personnel appointed by my own Department. These appointments represent a very broad swathe of Irish society and Irish competence. I am sure Deputy Boyd Barrett agrees with the appointments under the environmental pillar and probably knows each of the individuals involved. He would not cast any doubt on their ability to contribute well to the NESC.
There are just two minutes left. If I proceed with questions, there will be no time for supplementaries. If the House is agreeable, I will move on to the next business. Is that agreed? Agreed. That completes Question Time for today.
Written Answers follow Adjournment.