Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 311: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the names of all appointments made to State boards under his remit; the boards to which they were appointed since March 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32244/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I refer the Deputy to the following appointments.

Health and Safety Authority (HSA) Mr John Newham, Principal Officer, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation was appointed to the Board of the Health and Safety Authority on the 10th April 2012.

Shannon Development

Mr. Stephen Curran, Principal Officer, was appointed to my Department on 09 January 2012 and was subsequently appointed to the Board of Shannon Development on 23 February 2012.

Forfas Mr John Murphy, Secretary General of the Department was appointed to the Board of Forfas with effect from 18th January 2012.

The Industrial Development legislation provides that the Director General of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) serves on the board of Forfas. Professor Mark Ferguson therefore became a member of the Forfas Board on taking up his position with SFI with effect from 18th January 2012.

National Standards Authority of Ireland Board (NSAI) Ms Barbara O'Leary and Mr. Terry Landers were appointed to the Board of NSAI on 6th March 2012. Both appointments were publicly advertised and Ms O'Leary and Mr Landers both applied through the expressions of interest process.

Two Staff Representatives , Ms Anne Clarke and Mr Kierán Cox, were also appointed by Minister Bruton following an open election within the agency.

Competition Authority While it does not have a typical board structure, the Competition Authority consists of a Chairperson and up to four other members who act as an executive board. The Competition Acts 2002 to 2010 set out the requirements pertaining to appointments to the Authority. Chairperson: I re-appointed Mr Declan Purcell as Chairperson of the Competition Authority on 1st July 2011 and following his retirement, I subsequently appointed Ms Isolde Goggin as Chairperson following her selection by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) who publicly advertised this position. I appointed Ms Noreen Mackey and Mr David McFadden as temporary members of the Authority in July 2011 and I subsequently re-appointed both from 1st October. On 9th August 2011, I re-appointed Mr Ciarán Quigley as a temporary member of the Authority. These temporary appointments were made in accordance with the Competition Acts 2002 to 2010 and did not require to be publicly advertised.

Advertisements for three full time members of the Competition Authority were published in June 2011 and following the completion of the PAS selection process for these posts I appointed Mr Stephen Calkins and Mr Gerald FitzGerald from December 2011 and Mr Patrick Kenny from January 2011.

Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority

Seven appointments were made to the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA). Mr Dave Martin and Mr. Kevin O'Donovan were both appointed as nominees of the Prescribed Accountancy Bodies on the 26 May 2011. Ms Sylvia McNeece of the Irish Pension Board, Ms. Deirdre Behan of the Revenue Commissioners, Ms. Mairead Devine of the Central Bank, Ms. Marie Daly of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation and Mr. Sean Hawkshaw of the Irish Association of Investment Managers were all appointed as nominees of the Designated Bodies on the 3rd January 2012.

National Consumer Agency

Ms. Isolde Goggin was appointed to the Board of the National Consumer Agency in November 2011.

Ms. Goggin's appointment as Chairperson of the Competition Authority and Chairperson designate of the new body which will be established on foot of the merger of the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency reflects the Government's commitment to the rationalisation of State agencies.

PIAB

Two appointments were made to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB).

One was the re-appointment of Ms Ann Fitzgerald in her capacity as Chief Executive of the National Consumer Agency, which is a statutory position on the Board.

In the case of the second appointment, it was considered appropriate to have a representative from the Department on the Board and Ms Breda Power, Assistant Secretary, was appointed.

Science Foundation Ireland Dr. Rita Colwell and Professor Martina Newell-McGloughlin were both reappointed to the Board of Science Foundation Ireland with effect from 26th of July 2011. Dr Colwell and Professor Newell-McGloughlin are internationally renowned scientific experts in the Life Sciences and Biotechnology sectors.

InterTrade Ireland

The InterTradeIreland Board expired on the 12th December 2011.

The Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, nominated four new members to that Board. These members

included the following: Mr. Martin Cronin Chairman; Mr John Corbett; Mr. Kevin Norton; Ms. Mairead Sorenson.

These four members were subsequently appointed to the Board on the 13th December, 2011 by the North South Ministerial Council.

Both Mr. Brendan Butler and Ms. Patricia McKeown who served on the last Board were re-appointed on the 13th December, 2011.

IDA

"I recently made the following two appointments to the Board of the IDA: Alan W. Gray and Mary Campbell. Ms Mary Campbell was identified following consultations with IDA Ireland to nominate a person with relevant financial expertise for my consideration for appointment to the Board.

Enterprise Ireland There have been no new appointments to the Board of Enterprise Ireland since March 2011, however, the expression of interest campaign for Enterprise Ireland closed on 1st of June.

As you are aware I recently launched a further expressions of interest campaign in respect of Board vacancies that have arisen or are due to arise over the coming months. In this respect, my overriding focus is to find the best people for particular board appointments. In making appointments I will have regard to the expertise and experience of individuals, the balance of skills and attributes in terms of the overall composition of the board, the gender balance of the board and the availability and commitment of people to serve on the board.