Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 127: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the competencies sought from applicants for appointment to the FÁS board and the weighting attached to each competency. [10666/10]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 128: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the procedures adopted in deciding appointments to the FÁS board, the composition of any panel appointed to assist the selection and the recommendations of any such panel. [10667/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 128 together.

Following the publication of an advertisement in the national press the Department received 127 expressions of interest in relation to membership of the restructured Board of FÁS. The advertisement set out the criteria required for suitable applicants. Specifically, to qualify for appointment, a person must not have had any conflicts of interest likely to interfere with his/her ability to play a full part on the Board. Furthermore, a person must have had possession of expertise and experience at a senior level in one or more of the following areas: the functions of FÁS, or finance, trade, commerce, corporate governance or public administration.

A selection team comprising officials from my Department and an official from the Public Appointments Service was put in place. The selection team ranked the applications and this resulted in the drawing up of a shortlist of 28 of the most suitable candidates, which were submitted to me for my consideration. Five members of the Board, including the Chair, were selected from the shortlist.

Following consultation with the Minister for Social and Family Affairs and the Minister for Education and Science, as required by the Labour Services (Amendment) Act 2009, I then appointed all of the 11 current members to the Board of FÁS. These included the present Director General as an ex-officio member as provided for in the Act.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 129: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason for changing the practice in 1990 of appointing a chief executive officer of a State sponsored body as chairperson of ANCO and FÁS to one of making an appointment from the social partners. [10668/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Schedule 1 of the Labour Services Act, 1987, as amended, provides for the appointment of the Board of FÁS including its Chairperson. Each appointment to the Office of Chairperson has been based on the view that the person appointed possessed the right qualities to oversee the work and future strategy of the Agency.