According to the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), the current limit in respect of the board is 15 members. I appointed two people to the Board of Directors of the IMMA on the 12th of September last to allow for better regional representation on the Board having regard to IMMA's national remit and with a view to enhancing the business skills and acumen of the Board in terms of the commercial dimension of IMMA's roles and responsibilities.
The Government, as part of a critical examination of the structure and operation of a number of institutions included in the Public Service Reform Plan, accepted a recommendation to scale back the membership of a number of Boards of institutions, including IMMA, to a maximum of nine members, including the Chair. Whilst my Department continues to work towards the implementation of this and other recommendations on an administrative basis, the legislation required to give legal effect to this decision has yet to be enacted. It is expected that this legislation will be published in late 2015.
The heads of Bills are currently with the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht for consideration. Regarding any future board appointments, I have indicated my intention to work closely with the Chairs of the cultural institutions to identify the skills needs of the boards. This will be done as part of the Government's new appointments procedures.
