Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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26. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in view of the advertisement on 4 June, seeking Board members for the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Chester Beatty Library, the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, the Arts Council, the Irish Architectural Archive and Archbishop Marsh’s Library, the process by which he intends to appoint persons to these positions; and the measures he will take to ensure that the persons taking up those positions will have the appropriate qualifications and experience. [38503/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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My Department advertised on 4^th June 2013 seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced persons for appointment to the following positions in a non-executive capacity:

(a) Board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art: to fill vacancies that may arise over the coming 12 months;

(b) Board of Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library: to fill vacancies that may arise over the coming 12 months (legal expertise welcome);

(c) Board of the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork: to fill vacancies that may arise over the coming 12 months (legal expertise welcome);

(d) Arts Council: to fill vacancies that may arise over the coming 12 months;

(e) Board of the Irish Architectural Archive: to fill vacancies that may arise over the coming 12 months; and

(f) Board of Governors and Guardians of Archbishop Marsh's Library: to fill vacancies that may arise over the coming 12 months.

The purpose of this process is to widen the pool of suitable candidates to fill the relevant Board vacancies as they arise, though, as Minister, I am not restricted to considering only those who have responded to this invitation. Since coming into office, I have utilised this approach to Board appointments, which is the one adopted by this Government. I should say that the response to the advertisement has been very heartening. My Department is currently assessing the information supplied by the applicants so as to ensure, to the extent possible, an appropriate fit for appointments to the various institutions in due course.