Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation when he will fill the four vacancies on the Board of Shannon Development; the number of applications to fill the vacancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7687/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that in summer 2011 my Department had, through the Public Appointments Service sought expressions of interests for what were then two vacancies on the Board of Shannon Development. There were a total of 71 expressions of interest in joining the Board of Shannon Development as a result of this exercise; however, I did not proceed with any appointments to the Board of Shannon Development in 2011.

Subsequently, as is the case with Shannon Development, the two longest serving Board Members resigned at the Shannon Development AGM in April 2012. This meant that there were a total of four vacancies on the Board of Shannon Development. However as the Deputy will be aware an announcement was made in 2012 to set up two Task Forces (Change Management and Aviation Business Development Task Forces) and a Steering Group to make recommendations to Government on the future of Shannon Airport and Shannon Development. Given this work, the only appointment made by me to the Board of Shannon Development in 2012 was the appointment of Stephen Curran of my Department to replace his predecessor, Mr Bob Keane.

The Deputy will be aware that the Groups mentioned earlier assisted the Government in making its decision to separate Shannon Airport from the Dublin Airport Authority in December 2012 last and in the on-going work of merging Shannon Development with Shannon Airport. As part of this process the Government also agreed to ensure commonality in appointments to the boards of both Shannon Development and Shannon Airport in preparation for the establishment of the new entity. In this regard, my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport appointed Rose Hynes as Chair of the Shannon Airport Authority in December 2012 and I wish to inform the Deputy that I have recently appointed Ms Hynes to the Board of Shannon Development. I intend to make further appointments to the Board of Shannon Development on the basis of commonality in due course.