Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 June 2014
202. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of appointments to State boards under the remit of his Department in each year from 2011 to 2014, inclusive; the number that were publicly advertised; the reason all appointments are not open to public competition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26278/14]
View answerSince 2011, 235 appointments have been made to agencies under the remit of my Department. In 2011 there were 52 appointments, 78 in 2012, 79 in 2013 and 26 in 2014 to date. I have made 228 of those appointments (including re-appointments) since becoming Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. Of the 2011 appointments, 7 were made by my predecessors while the remaining 45 were made by me. All subsequent appointments have been made by me.
I announced new procedures for appointment to boards in April 2011 and all appointments that I have made have followed these procedures. None of the 7 appointments made in 2011 prior to my appointment followed these procedures or were the subject of any public advertisement. As the Deputy will be aware, his party Fianna Fáil was in Government at that time. The procedures include an open invitation for expressions of interest in serving on the board of any of the agencies under the remit of my Department. This invitation was renewed in January 2013.
Details of all appointments and vacancies are published on http://dttas.ie/corporate/english/state-board-membership-and-approved-fees and I currently have a database of more than 500 individuals who have expressed interest. 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 such an expression.
In every case where expressions of interest are concerned, I give close consideration to individuals who I consider appropriate to promoting good governance at board level, and with experience or qualifications in finance (including audit capability and/or project assessment), law, corporate governance, marketing, IT, or with experience relevant to the transport, tourism and sports sectors.
While over half of my appointees have come through this process, I have also re-appointed people such as Gay Byrne (Chairman of the Road Safety Authority). There is no requirement for them to reply to the advertisement just for the sake of it. I have, on occasion, approached people to sit on a board because of their particular skills or experience. Kathryn O'Leary Higgins is an example of such a person who was approached to sit on the board of the Shannon Group. Ms O'Leary Higgins was a former member of the United States' National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from 2006 to 2009, she also served as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Labour from 1997 to 1999 and also served in the White House as Assistant to the President and Secretary to the Cabinet from 1995 to 1997. Another example is Michael Cawley, whom I recently appointed Chairperson of Fáilte Ireland. He was previously the deputy chief executive and chief operating officer of Ryanair.
