Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is a small country and most people have a political record of one description or another. That does not mean it should be the only criterion that should apply to appointments to boards. Under previous administrations there was no process at all for public involvement in board appointments. Before this Government took up office, in the last few days of that regime, a couple of hundred people were appointed to different boards. It has been opened up for the first time ever. Every Department is required to advertise vacancies on their own websites. That enables members of the public to come forward and make their views and expertise known. While Ministers are not confined to that list, it has greatly widened the opportunity and the pool of people from whom appointees can be chosen. Quite a considerable number of appointees have come through that process and those nominated for chairpersons of State boards must attend the relevant committee in advance of appointment to set out their vision, priorities and what they see they would bring to that board. That also enhances the transparency of the board's process.

We will keep that under review. The relevance of what the Deputy raises is the question, rather than just making appointments, whether these are people who really have something to offer. Are the boards doing the job for which they were set up?

The relevant question is not simply about which appointments are made but rather that they be of people who really have something to offer; and whether the boards are doing the job for which they were established. I would assume that every Minister has an engagement with these boards and if they are not measuring up, that he or she will ensure something is done about it. Under a number of appointments that were made through the public advertisement system, I note, for example, the chief executive of Fujitsu and the head of regulation and public policy at O2 Ireland were appointed to EirGrid. The chair of Accenture Institute for Public Services Value and a member of the Smurfit Graduate School of Business, Vivienne Jupp, was appointed to the board of CIE. The chairperson of Bord Bia is currently the chairman of Jacobs Fruitfield in Ireland. Michael Carey has had senior positions in a number of multinational food companies in Ireland and the UK. Also appointed to the board via the public process was Rhona Holland, who is a managing director of Global Intelligence, and formerly of PepsiCo. These are people of exceptional calibre and quality who applied through that system. It has brought about a change in the range, calibre, quality and speciality of people who can be appointed.

I encourage Ministers on a regular basis to see to it that the strategy and requirements of the boards are met and followed through and that a programme and plan are being followed in order that we can make progress. From my point of view, I chair the Cabinet sub-committees. People occasionally attend from agencies and are required to report on progress made in so far as implementing the programme for Government is concerned and on the planned strategies of the individual groups or organisations.

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