Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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15. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he expects members of the Irish diaspora to be appointed to strengthen State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42052/14]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware the Government recently announced a revised model for Ministerial appointments to State Boards. In future, all appointments to State Boards must be advertised openly on the State Boards portal at , which is operated by the Public Appointments Service.

My officials are currently preparing overarching guidelines on appointments for approval by Government, including issues related to diversity. As part of this process all Departments have been contacted seeking comprehensive details on all State Boards under their aegis.

It is envisaged that candidates for membership of State Boards will be required to meet specific and detailed criteria determined by the relevant Minister as necessary for the effective performance of the relevant role. Selection will be by way of a transparent assessment system run by the Public Appointments Service.

All candidates applying for membership of State Boards, including those from the group referred to in the Deputy's question, will be assessed against the specified criteria on a consistent and uniform basis.