My Department works with the Public Appointments Service to ensure that vacancies on the Boards of public bodies under my Department's aegis are filled as quickly and efficiently as possible. Board appointments are made in accordance with the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards (2014), as well as the Code of Practice on Governance of State Bodies (2016) and its Annex on Gender Balance, Diversity and Inclusion (2020).
My Department has comprehensive procedures in place to forecast State Board vacancies and initiate, monitor and progress the process of drafting campaign information booklets to allow for the timely advertisement of campaigns by the Public Appointments Service, as well as to take all follow-up actions leading to the submission of names of suitable candidates for my consideration and appointment, as appropriate.
Competitions for appointments to a number of State Boards under my Department's remit are ongoing and at different stages. My officials, in conjunction with officials in the Public Appointments Service, will continue to review the efficiency of the process to fill vacancies on State Boards, with a view to ensuring as much as possible the timely appointment of suitable candidates.
