Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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867. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she is responsible for all board appointments where the power to appoint people to State boards is vested in her by statute; if any politically appointed State employee outside her Department is involved in decision-making concerning such appointments, in particular, if, during the lifetime of the Government, a named person (details supplied) has had any influence over any appointments made by her; if she or officials from her Department have corresponded with that person, regarding the composition of and appointments to State boards to which she has statutory power to make appointments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30104/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Responsibility for making appointments to a number of statutory State boards is vested by statute in me as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. As I have not made any appointments to those statutory boards since becoming Minister, the question of anyone seeking to exercise any role or influence in the making of such appointments does not arise. In 2014, the Government approved new guidelines covering the process to be used in making all appointments to State boards. Under these guidelines, the Public Appointments Service assumed responsibility for managing the appointments process via a dedicated website, . In common with other Government Departments, my Department has nominated a liaison officer to engage with the Public Appointments Service in ensuring compliance with the new guidelines.

I have delegated responsibility for certain functions relating to the Gaeltacht to the Minister of State at my Department with responsibility for Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy McHugh. The Minister of State has made two appointments to the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta, which were fully in compliance with the new guidelines. I understand there was no correspondence in those cases of the nature referred to by the Deputy.