Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy asked me whether I have confidence in the Public Appointments Service and its work. The answer is "Yes". As the Deputy is aware, it has an enhanced role and does more work in this area than was the case in recent years. I believe this has led to the availability of better candidates that has been the case for many years because more people are aware of the process.

In respect of my tenure as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, while I cannot remember the exact number of vacancies that may exist at any point, the answer is that, of course, there were vacancies when I was Minister because you have responsibility for a group of boards and people may resign or go on to do different work. This can mean that despite your best efforts, there are vacancies that then take time to fill. Am I aware of the vacancy levels on other State boards? I do not have that information with me, but I know that the Deputy's party is putting questions on this issue to all my colleagues. However, I can get the information for him if he wishes. I suspect he will have it soon. I cannot give him answers relating to other Departments, but I am undertaking a review of the process to assess how it is working and if improvements can be made.

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