Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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145. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he is satisfied with the number of women currently serving on State boards under his remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10020/14]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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This Government adopted a significant innovation in 2011 to widen access by all persons to be considered for appointment to State Boards by providing that expressions of interest be sought publicly from all those that might be interested in serving on such Boards.

In accordance with the Government Decision of 12 April 2011, I have, each year, on my Department's website, invited Expressions of Interest from persons wishing to be considered for appointment to vacancies on State Boards under the aegis of my Department and this information has been used to inform decisions for such appointments. My Department first advertised for expressions of interest in such appointments in June 2011.

Notwithstanding this significant innovation, the level of expressions of interest from women has been less than half that of men. Of the 31 applications made in 2011 on foot of the invitation to submit expressions of interest, 10 were from women and 21 from men. In 2012 the total number of applicants was 37 of which 8 were from women and 29 from men. In the current call for expressions of interest, the total number of applicants to date is 104 of which 33 are from women and 71 from men.

There have been 28 women appointed to State Boards under the aegis of my Department in the period March 2011 to 31 January 2014.