John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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912. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the efforts his Department is making to achieve gender balance on all State boards and agencies under the remit of his Department; if he will set out the changes achieved to date on each; if 50% of the membership of all boards, policy groups or agencies that provide advice to Government on matters of policy will be reserved for appropriately qualified individuals from the private sector in order to achieve a balance between the public and private sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20721/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The only State body under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board. The Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act 1927. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners, one of whom must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The Army Medical Corps ordinary member is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.

My Department reports on the gender balance of the Army Pensions Board annually to the Department of Justice which has a coordinating role in this regard. The most recent return showed a gender balance of 67% male and 33% female in respect of the Army Pensions Board.

Appointments to membership of the Board will continue to be made in line with government policy and the relevant legislation.