Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

He is on his way to the Ireland-New Zealand rugby match in Chicago. I will also pass on the Deputy’s good wishes to the Secretary General of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. I agree with him that he does a fantastic job. I can also attest to the fantastic job the assistant secretary, who the Deputy has not met, does.

I have been informed by the board of Fáilte Ireland that it has carried out a public recruitment process, through the executive search company Amrop, for the appointment of a chief executive officer to Fáilte Ireland. The carrying out of such a process is a matter for the authority in accordance with its statutory functions and with the Government’s guidelines.

The term of office of the current chief executive officer of Fáilte Ireland, Shaun Quinn, is due to expire on 31 December 2016. I should take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution he has made to the impressive growth in the tourism sector over his years at the helm of Fáilte Ireland.

The consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to fill the chief executive post was sought and received earlier this year and was subject to a number of conditions, including that the filling of the post be by means of an open competition. The Department was informed that the authority intended to run a public process, including by means of public advertisements.

The statutory requirements governing the appointment of a CEO by Fáilte Ireland is set out in section 31 of the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003. In accordance with subsection (3) of that section, the chief executive is appointed by the authority with the consent of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. Under subsection (7) of Section 31, the CEO shall hold office upon and subject to such terms and conditions, including terms and conditions relating to remuneration and allowances, as may be determined by Fáilte Ireland with the consent of the Minister given with the consent of the Minister for Finance.

The Department has been advised that, following consideration by the authority, it decided to undertake the recruitment process through a private recruitment firm rather than the Public Appointments Service. The Minister has been advised that the post was advertised in a number of publications in April 2016, including a national daily newspaper and a national Sunday paper. In addition, an executive search process was undertaken by Amrop. A high number of candidates were identified through these processes and, following a selection and interview process, a preferred candidate has now been identified. The authority has assured the Minister and me - I met the chairman recently - that the search and selection processes undertaken were robust and thorough and that all candidates went through the same rigorous transparent process and were dealt with in a fair manner.

On 26 October 2016, the authority sought the consent of the Minister to the appointment in accordance with its statutory obligations under section 31(3) of the Act. The authority has also sought the consent of the Minister to the terms and conditions of the appointment under section 31(7) of the Act. Both these requests are under consideration and, regarding the latter, the Minister will consult with his colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Regarding the nature of the process carried out by the authority, the decision to undertake a public process through a private company rather than the Public Appointments Services predated the Minister's appointment and mine. However, we acknowledge the fact that the processes undertaken were carried out in an open and public competitive process.

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