Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 November 2019
688. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the State boards under her remit that do not require an application for appointment through the Public Appointments System; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47744/19]
View answerThe Public Appointments Service operates a dedicated website, www.stateboards.ie. This website has been consistently used by my Department to identify suitably qualified members of the public who are interested in serving on boards under my remit. State Boards which come under the remit of this Department are listed below:
- Arts Council
- Crawford Art Gallery
- Foras na Gaeilge
- Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland
- Heritage Council
- Irish Manuscripts Commission
- Irish Museum of Modern Art
- National Archives Advisory Council
- National Concert Hall
- National Gallery of Ireland
- National Library of Ireland
- National Museum of Irelan
- Tha Boord o Ulstèr-Scotch
- Údarás na Gaeltachta
I am advised that there are specific exceptions to appointments through the Public Appointments System. These include the appointment of members to a Board on an ex officio basis and nominations by a third party organisation, such as a Local Authority.
Appointments to Boards of North/South bodies are also exempt from this process and are made by the North South Ministerial Council, on the basis of 50:50 nominations from each jurisdiction. However, in the absence of a Northern Ireland Executive and specifically a First and Deputy First Minister, the North South Ministerial Council cannot meet.
There are also bodies such as the Chester Beatty Library (a public charitable trust), who are not considered as a State Board for the purposes of the recruitment of board members, and in such instances the PAS service is used to facilitate the filling of board vacancies.
