Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 July 2014
790. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total number of appointments to State boards under the aegis of his Department since March 2011; the total number of appointments that have been advertised on his Department’s website; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32295/14]
View answerI would like to inform the Deputy that since my Department was established in June 2011 to the present time, five non-commercial State agencies have been funded by the Exchequer through my Department's Vote. These were the Child and Family Agency, the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), the Family Support Agency (FSA), the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) and the Ombudsman for Children. With effect from 1 January 2012, I have taken responsibility for the Children Detention Schools as provided in Part 10 of the Children Act 2001. Within this period 48 persons have been appointed to the boards of management of those bodies.
Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board were dissolved and the service provision for these Agencies along with Child and Family Services previously provided by the HSE transferred to the new Agency with effect from 1st January, 2014. The membership of the board of the Family Support Agency was appointed to the board of the new Child and Family Agency on its establishment on January 1st 2014. The Ombudsman for Children's Office does not have a board.
As the Deputy may be aware, in line with the Government decision of April 2011, new arrangements were put in place for the making of appointments to State Boards and bodies. Following this Government Decision, on my Department's website, I have invited expressions of interest from persons interested in being appointed to the boards of State Bodies and Agencies operating under the Department's aegis. The notice indicates the vacancies in the boards of the respective bodies. My officials acknowledge all expressions of interest received and maintain a database of those expressions. My Department’s website is monitored and updated on a regular basis to reflect the number of vacancies as they arise.
The Deputy may wish to note that the governing legislation in relation to each of these bodies sets out the composition of the board either in terms of their qualifications and experience, or the Government Minister or body that is responsible for nominating representatives on them or who must be consulted in the nomination process.
In making my decisions on appointments to boards, subject to the governing legislation, I will consider the most suitable persons for the positions available with due regard to the body or agency in question and its particular responsibilities and I will seek to ensure that the appropriate mix of skills and experience is in place to achieve the best result.
