Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

306. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of former secretary general’s, retired civil servants, directors of service, retired city/county managers or those of a similar grade in his Department that have subsequently served on State boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66006/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not collect information on the appointment of retired staff to State Boards. Details of the membership of State Boards are available on the stateboards.ie website.

More generally, as the Deputy may be aware, in 2011 the Government introduced new arrangements to increase openness and transparency in the selection of appointees to State Boards. Under these arrangements, expressions of interest were to be sought where a vacancy arose on a Board of a State Body, with vacancies advertised on the relevant Department’s website or by the independent Public Appointments Service (PAS). To support the new approach, the aforementioned stateboards.ie website was established to offer a single dedicated point of contact for Government Departments to assist in the selection procedures for members of State Boards.

Building on this initiative, the Government in 2014 published Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards setting out requirements which apply to all State Board appointments. The Guidelines detail the process which should be followed, and the Guidelines also provide for specific exceptions where it is open for Ministers to appoint Board members other than strictly in accordance with the process. Some State Boards derive their power and authority directly from its establishing legislation, which may also detail how the board of the agency is to be composed and, in these circumstances, the Minister must comply with the establishing legislation in any board appointments.