Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 504: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will outline the total number of appointments to State boards since March 2011 under the aegis of his Department; the total number of appointments that have been advertised on his Department's website; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35606/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Up to 3 July 2012, the latest date for which information is available, the position is as follows:

*The board of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority was reappointed from 1 May 2012 and replaced by a new board from 1 June 2012 which will continue in place until 31 December 2013.

A notice was placed on my Department's website on 19 July, 2011 seeking expressions of interest, from suitably qualified and experienced persons, for consideration as members or chairpersons of the boards of state bodies under the aegis of my Department. The notice is updated regularly as specific vacancies arise. However, expressions of interest can be made at any time and are kept on file in my Department for consideration as vacancies occur.

All appointments are made in accordance with the appropriate legislation governing appointments to each body. In considering applications due regard is had to Government policy regarding gender balance on State Boards.

A number of different statutory processes are involved in appointments to State boards. In some cases statutory selection procedures must be followed or nominations must be sought from independent nominating panels before appointments are made by the Government or by the Minister. In a number of situations, only some appointments to the body concerned are made by the Minister, or appointments are made with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

The Boards of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and An Bord Pleanala are executive in nature and members are employed on a full time salaried basis. The appointments as Chairperson of An Bord Pleanála and Director General of the EPA were made by Government following competitions held by the Public Appointments Service.

The Chair of the Board for the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency (HSCA) has been re-appointed on an interim basis pending the imminent, formal establishment of the Agency under the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Acts 1971 to 2012.

The Dormant Accounts Board has now been dissolved under the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act, 2012.

The following members were appointed to the Board of Pobal, a not-for-profit company under the aegis of my Department, by Government:

· Mr. Séamus Boland (Chair)

· Mr. Thomas Maguire

· Mr. Liam Keane

· Ms. Siobhan McLoughlin

· Ms. Jennifer McHugh

· Ms. Marie Hurley

Article 3 of the Articles of Association of Pobal requires the Minister to consider nominations received from a list of stakeholders and the Social Partners defined by Government in 2005. The list comprises:

National Social Partners

- Social Partners party to the Sustaining Progress Agreement; and

Stakeholders

- Area and Community Partnership,

- County Childcare Committees, and

- City and County Managers Association.

A consultation process was conducted and 22 nominations received from the Stakeholders and the National Social Partners were considered for purposes of the Government appointments to the vacant positions on the board.