Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the time there was one vacancy, and that has been filled. However, other vacancies are due to arise and I will now outline how it is proposed to deal with them.

At present, there are no vacancies on the Arts Council. Section 11 of the Arts Act 2003 states that the Council shall consist of a chairperson and 12 ordinary members appointed by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to serve for a term of five years. Details and biographies of the members, along with the dates on which they were appointed and their respective terms of office, are available on the website of the Arts Council at . The Arts Act 2003 specifies that no fewer than six of the members of the council shall be men and no fewer than six shall be women. The Act also states that council members, "shall, in the opinion of the Minister, have a special interest or knowledge in relation to the arts or matters connected with the functions of the Minister or the Council under this Act."

Last June my Department advertised for expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced persons to fill vacancies that might arise on the Arts Council during the following 12 months. The advertisement specified that, as Minister, I will not be restricted to considering only those who have responded to the invitation. In the near future, a number of positions will become vacant on the Arts Council. Those people who have expressed an interest in becoming members of the council will be considered for those vacancies in conjunction with other suitable people. The vacancies in question will arise during the course of this month.

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