Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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97. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps he has taken to ensure that all State boards have at least 40% of each gender [21969/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware, in 2011 the Government introduced new arrangements for the appointment of State board members. Under the new arrangements, Departments now invite expressions of interest from the public in vacancies on the boards of bodies under their aegis on their websites. It is open to all members of the public regardless of gender, political affiliations or geographically location to apply for appointment to these vacancies. I am satisfied that the new arrangements introduced by the Government in 2011 have significantly improved transparency in the making of appointments to State Boards compared with the making of appointments in previous years. Since the formation of this Government 16 members have been nominated to State Boards, 25% of which being female. In view of the statutory procedures for the appointment of members of the Civil Service Arbitration Board and the Public Appointments Service, there is limited scope for me to take a factor such as gender into account when I make such appointments. I would like to make it clear that it is my intention in the limited number of appointments I have to make to increase the number of women appointees over the lifetime of the Government.