The nomination and appointment process for boards of bodies under the aegis of my Department is set out in legislation. In line with Government Decision S180/20/10/1617 of 2014 and Guidelines set out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform relating to the advertising for expressions of interest in vacancies on State Boards, my Department in conjunction with the Public Appointments Service (PAS) currently advertises for board vacancies as they arise, where I, as Minister for Health, have nominating rights under relevant legislation.
To my knowledge, none of the appointments I have made from the lists of candidates who had expressed an interest to the Public Appointments Service in serving on a Board, and who were found to have the appropriate competencies and skills for the position, have been former TDs.