Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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334. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of appointments made to State boards under his 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 he will make a statement on the matter. [28975/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Up to 31 March 2013, the latest date for which information is available, the position is as follows:

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.

Vacancies on the boards of other bodies under the Department’s aegis will be notified on the website as they arise. However, expressions of interest can be made at any time and will be 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 also 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 another Minister.

The Boards of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and An Bord Pleanála are executive in nature and members are employed on a full-time salaried basis.

Appointments are made taking into account the requirement of the position and the qualifications, experience and expertise of the potential candidates.

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. Tommy Maguire;

- Mr. Liam Keane;

- Ms. Siobhan McLoughlin;

- Ms. Jennifer McHugh ;

- Ms. Mari Hurley ;

- Mr. William Cotter ;

- Mr. Gerald Quain ;

- Cllr. John Kelleher;

- Ms. Ann Costello ;

- Ms. Mary Mooty

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

- County and City 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.

The following members were appointed to the Board of the National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee under the aegis of my Department:

- Mr. Tom Coughlan, County Manager, Clare County Council;

- Ms. Colette Spears;

- Mr Jim Ganley (Departmental representative)

The following members were appointed to the Building Regulation Advisory Board under the aegis of my Department:

- Mr. Aidan O'Connor (Departmental representative);

- Mr. Paul Kelly;

- Mr. Conor Taaffe.