Mr. Joe Hamill:

I suppose this is an area that has been a bit difficult over many years. As the Deputy knows, it has been formalised now in a much broader way. Under the new set-up with public bodies through the Public Appointments Service, there will be a very formal approach. Bodies would often convey to a Department that they feel it would be very useful to have people with skills or backgrounds in finance, law or some other area. It is clear that certain bodies, such as the National Library or the National Gallery, need people on their boards who understand specific areas or have specific experience. Sometimes people are put on boards because they might be of benefit in helping to source philanthropy. There are lots of different reasons. We have formally written to the chairs of the bulk of the bodies we deal with on the cultural institutions front to ask for advice on skill sets. We will be putting those formally into our processes through the Public Appointments Service for all future appointments.