Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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516. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if three of the nine board members of the Western Development Commission appointed by his predecessor on behalf of the Government are former Fine Gael councillors; if another of the board members is a former election candidate for the Labour Party; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3528/15]

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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I am advised that three members of the current Western Development Commission Board were former Fine Gael Councillors and one Board Member was a former Labour Party candidate.

All of the appointments to the current Western Development Commission Board were made in line with section 9(2) of the Western Development Commission Act 1998. Each of the Board members has significant experience in their respective fields, which makes them suitably qualified to “foster and encourage economic and social development in the Western Region”, which is the main function of the Commission.

In compliance with arrangements proposed by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, and approved by Government on 30 September 2014, future appointments to State Boards which come under the aegis of my Department will be advertised openly on the State Boards portal at , which is operated by the Public Appointments Service.