Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank both witnesses. I ask Ms Burke to bring one thought back to the Pension Council for its deliberations. During the term of the last Dáil I was directly involved in the fossil fuel divestment legislation that was brought through the Houses in terms of the State divesting from investment funds that were involved in companies that were focused on fossil fuels. There needs to be far more engagement with the public and pension funds about divestment in fossil fuels. As we all know, money makes the world go around and pension fund money makes the world go around. It has a big role to play in how investments are focused on an international level. It is important that pension funds and contributors to pension funds become far more conscious of the detrimental impact to our environment of particular investment approaches that are not just about the short-term financial return but also the long-term impact on our climate and future generations. I would like Ms Burke to take that back with her.

Finally, both witnesses are women taking over pretty significant roles in public bodies. Both have a very important role to play in encouraging more female participation on State boards. The existing rules state that 40% is the target for gender balance on State boards. When I was Minister, trying to make appointments to State boards, my biggest difficulty was the lack of applications being submitted by women in the first instance. I openly put this challenge out. Hopefully some of my successors in the current or future Cabinets will be left in the position where they are forced to appoint a man to a State board to bring about that 40% threshold. That should be our objective. There is an important role that both of our witnesses can play in encouraging more women to apply for State boards and to go on them. I would call on the public and my colleagues to actively encourage women to register with stateboards.ie. The numbers are quite small and the more women who apply provides far greater opportunities for every woman to actively participate in State boards and bring about what is a very important balance on boards that helps break down the group think that sadly, in no small way, led to the economic recession we saw in the decades past. I hope the witnesses will take that away with them today.

I would also like them to consider the now stated Government policy that by the end of 2021, 20% of staff in the public sector and public bodies will be working remotely, whether from home, a hot-desking facility or a blended form of working. I hope that as chairs of their respective committees, they will actively encourage and help to achieve those targets within their own bodies but also more generally across the public and private sectors. I sincerely thank both Ms Heaney and Ms Burke for putting their names forward for these particular roles.

They are eminently qualified for both roles and will bring a huge amount of expertise and knowledge to the boards of both organisations. I hope that you will be hugely successful in your endeavours over the coming years. Thank you most sincerely for giving your time and providing your expertise to public bodies, which are ultimately about delivering for each and every citizen across this State.

We have finished with questioning, so I again thank Ms Burke and Ms Heaney for attending today, and for their constructive engagement with the committee. I wish them well in their roles.