Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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273. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide in tabular form the number of commercial and non-commercial State agency board positions under the aegis of his Department filled between March 2011 and December 2013; the number of these positions that were publically advertised; and the number of female appointments. [1381/14]

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 arrangementsDepartments 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 22 members have been nominated to State Boards, of which 23% are 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. The following tables give a breakdown of the gender balance and positions filled of State boards under my remit from 2011 to 2013:

** The Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act, 2004 states that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (in consultation with Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, the Minister for Health and the Minister for Justice and Equality) should appoint members of the Board of the Public Appointments Service.

The Board is meant to be representative of our client base.  The majority of the board is therefore civil or public servants, nominated by the relevant Minister. There is also a union representative nominated by ICTU.  The two external members were appointed by the Minister because of their expertise in strategic change and public service recruitment respectively.

*** The CEO of PAS is appointed to the Board on an ex officio basis.