Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 December 2015
468. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the number of chairpersons appointed to State boards under the aegis of his Department who have appeared before the relevant Oireachtas joint committee since March 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46271/15]
View answerOn 30 September 2014 the Government announced further substantial reforms to the appointment system for Board members, building on the model established in 2011, under which all appointments should:
a) be advertised openly on the State Boards website portal operated by the Public Appointments Service (PAS);
b) meet specific and detailed criteria determined necessary for the effective performance of the Board; and
c) be processed by way of a transparent assessment system designed and implemented by the independent Public Appointments Service (PAS).
The Guidelines published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in 2014 also stated that persons being proposed by Ministers for appointment as Chairpersons of State Bodies/Agencies were required to appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children to discuss the approach they would take in their role as Chairperson and their views about the future contribution of the body or Board in question, before they would be formally appointed by the Minister.
Prior to the September 2014 Government Decision, just one Chairperson Designate from an agency under the aegis of my Department appeared before the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children. However, since that date all Chairpersons Designate have appeared. The Chairpersons Designate in question were from the Boards of the Health Information Quality Authority, Dublin Dental Hospital, Leopardstown Park Hospital, Irish Blood Transfusion Service and the Voluntary Health Insurance Board. The Chairperson Designate of the Health Products Regulatory Authority is scheduled to appear before the Oireachtas Committee in January 2016.
