Vol. 395 No. 2
14 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport the vacancies existing on all State boards under the aegis of his Department; the number of women serving on such boards; and his proposals to increase the number of women on State boards under his aegis.
The only State board under the aegis of my Department on which there are vacancies at present is the board of the B & I Line plc. There are currently four vacancies on the board, including one for a worker director. Worker director elections will be held later this year and the question of filling the three other vacant positions is at present under consideration.
At the present time there is a total of seven women serving on State boards under the aegis of my Department, one of whom, Ms. Mary Bennett was appointed to the board of Aer Lingus-Aerlinte on 18 January 1990.
With regard to future appointments I should point out that I pursue a policy of exqual opportunity in relation to such appointments, having regard to experience, qualifications and general suitability.
Can the Minister tell us the percentage of places on State boards under the aegis of his Department filled by women?
Out of a total of 50 places, seven are held by women which is a rate of about 14 per cent or 15 per cent. I see from my own personal note that in March 1987 out of a total of 88 places ten were held by women. Therefore, the Deputy can see that there has been an improvement on the position which prevailed during the time my predecessor on the far side of the House held office.
Is the Minister satisfied that this represents an adequate representation for women? Given that the representation is so low, would he consider a policy of positive discrimination to improve the position? It is my experience that some of the best performers in the tourism sector are women, but this is not reflected in the way things stand at present. Have the Government considered introducing a policy of positive discrimination?
Since my appointment as Minister for Tourism and Transport I have not had too many vacancies to fill, but as I mentioned in my reply I took the opportunity when two vacancies arose on the board of Aer Lingus recently to ask that one of these positions be filled by a woman. I am not sure if I would describe it as positive discrimination, but I make every effort in filling positions to have women appointed to boards.
