Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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236. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of appointments made to State boards under her Department's remit since March 2011; the number of positions that have been advertised; the number of applications to the boards; the number of appointments to the board that were drawn from the applications; the current number of vacancies on each board; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28982/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Board, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal.

Citizens Information Board

I have made three appointments to the Citizens Information Board since coming into office.

Mr. Eugene McErlean was appointed with effect from 7 September 2011. This followed a public request for expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced individuals in line with the procedures for appointment to State boards and bodies agreed by Government in May 2011. In response to this public request for expressions of interest, 172 applications were received through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and the appointment was made following a rigorous selection process in accordance with the legislation governing appointments to the board.

The other two appointments did not require public advertisement as one was the Department's representative to the Board, Ms. Fiona Ward, first appointed on 1 November 2011, and the other was the CIB's staff representative to the Board, Mr. David Stratton, who was appointed on 5 November 2012. These appointments were made in accordance with the governing legislation: the Comhairle Act 2000, as amended by the Citizens Information Act 2007.

There are currently two vacancies on the Citizens Information Board. A public request for expressions of interest in March 2013 resulted in 76 applications being received through the Public Appointments Service (PAS). Appointments will be made in accordance with the legislation on completion of the selection process.

Pensions Board

Under the current structure, there are two vacancies on the Pensions Board. No appointments have been advertised or made by me to the Pensions Board since I took office.

The Public Service Reform Programme provides for a critical review of the integration of the regulatory functions of the Pensions Board with the Financial Regulator, and the merging of the Pensions Ombudsman with the Financial Services Ombudsman. The Critical Review Group established to carry out this review has finalised its report, the recommendations of which have been accepted by Government.

The key recommendation from the critical review in relation to Board membership is that the governance of the Pensions Board will be restructured with two distinct arms, one of which will be a three-person Pensions Commission, including an independent Chair, to provide oversight of pensions regulation, and the other a separate unpaid Pensions Council with a majority of members representing consumer interests and which will advise the Minister on pensions policy.

The relevant legislative measures to implement the changes to the governance structure of the Pensions Board are being provided for in the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013, which is currently progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Social Welfare Tribunal

The Board of the Social Welfare Tribunal is appointed for a three year term. It consists of a Chairperson and four ordinary members, two of whom are nominated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and two by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), in accordance with legislation.

There have been 6 appointments to the board since March 2011. One of the ICTU members of the Tribunal resigned in 2011 and, on ICTU's nomination, a replacement member was appointed from 24 October 2011.

All appointments were due for renewal on 4th October 2012. Four members of the previous board, and one new person nominated by IBEC, were appointed to the new board, by me, effective from the 5^th of October 2012. Both bodies had forwarded their nominations, which I duly approved and appointed. The Chairperson is sourced by the Department of Social Protection by way of a recommendation from the Labour Court with regard to a particular candidate's suitability. The Chairperson, who was re-appointed in 2012, has held the position since 2003. He is a former Rights Commissioner with extensive experience in dispute resolution and has been proven to hold all of the qualifications, skills and competencies necessary for the position.

None of these positions were filled on foot of public applications as, due to the nature of the work of the Tribunal, they are not subject to the new procedures. The Tribunal deals with entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance where a claim is refused because it is considered to be connected to a trade dispute. The board is therefore made up of individuals deemed to be representative of both employers and employees, hence the nominations from both IBEC and ICTU. The Chairperson, in the position since 2003 and with all the necessary experience, qualifications and skills, had indicated his willingness to continue in the role and was duly reappointed.

The revised Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies does not apply to the Social Welfare Tribunal due to its structure and purpose.

There are no vacancies on the Board of the Tribunal.