Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

Does the Minister of State recognise that perhaps it is time we began obtaining the official statistics from the Companies Registration Office? It should not be too difficult to do so. Software is now available which can read the gender of a particular name of a director fairly easily. Notwithstanding that departmental responsibility for the matter rests with another Department, there is such a thing as overall collective responsibility. In the implementation of Government policy, where this is a desired objective, the Minister of State might consider undertaking an initiative with the Department of the Taoiseach, the Central Statistics Office and, in particular, the Companies Registration Office, which I understand is within the remit of his Department, to seek out these statistics.

The minimum 40% target for the representation of women on State boards and bodies has been reversed by the two Governments of which the Minister of State has been a supporter since 1997. The figures have gone backwards. The main culprit in disturbing the gender balance was not the current Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment but his predecessor.

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