Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I, too, thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important issue for discussion. The problem of appointments to boards has been a perennial one owing to a lack of planning within Departments. Given the introduction of better procedures, the process of filling vacancies, from the date on which they are announced or occur to the date on which they are filled, takes longer. Departments are required to commence planning six months prior to a vacancy occurring so as to ensure all positions on boards are filled. I acknowledge that in the past many Ministers failed to fill vacancies on boards in time. My experience when a Minister was that if one did not start the process on time it did not finish on time. That said, there is no excuse for a board to be with a quorum. I do not recall there ever being a board without a quorum during my time as Minister. There is no governance in an organisation without a board and a board cannot meet without a quorum.

I hope that the Minister of State can clarify today when the seven members will be appointed. I admire Deputy Ó Caoláin's homework on this issue. I suggest that the Minister fill all vacancies now and that a policy be adopted within his Department of foreseeable vacancies being filled on the date they occur. If he does so, he will avoid the temptation to fill all vacancies when a sudden election arises, as has happened under various previous Governments. If vacancies are filled as they arise, this issue does not arise.

We need to hear from the Minister of State when these vacancies will be filled and a proper explanation for why they have not been filled to date. If the reason they have not been filled is because they were thought about too late then the Minister of State should tell us so. She should also say what remedial action will be taken in that regard. It is important also that the Minister of State say if the lack of a board on the FSAI had any affect or caused any difficulty for it in dealing with the recent meat scandal, which was bad enough, without now finding that the authority which identified the problem does not have a governing board in place.

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