Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of appointments that have been made to positions available on the boards of semi-State companies and statutory agencies following public advertisement; if he will provide details of the names of persons who have been appointed under this initiative and the agencies on which they now sit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40028/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Since May 2011, a notification has been placed on my Department’s website inviting expressions of interest from persons interested in being appointed to the boards of State Bodies under the aegis of my Department. Also on 7th September of this year I placed an advertisement in the National Newspapers inviting expressions of interest. These applications will be considered when appointments are being made to any of these boards. It is hoped that this will provide a wide range of applicants with the appropriate mix of skills and experience in the relevant area of work.

In the case of a number of bodies, the board appointments, while made by me, are not at my sole discretion and, instead, individuals are nominated for appointment by me by various organisations as specified in the relevant statute. These are the Aquaculture Licensing Appeals Board, Bord Bia, Teagasc, National Milk Agency, Veterinary Council of Ireland and Horse Racing Ireland.

There have been a number of appointments to State Boards during my tenure and the details of these are outlined in the accompanying table.