Government plans on State board appointments welcome, yet further reform still needed
Date: 14 April 201184% of directors call for an independent state board appointments committee
The Institute of Directors in Ireland (IoD) has today welcomed the memorandum approved by the Government regarding appointments to State boards, as a starting point in the reform process. The announcement that vacancies on State boards will in future be advertised and open to members of the public is a positive move and demonstrates the Government’s commitment to change.
However, the IoD believes that there is still some way to go in implementing real reform in the current system and the measures outlined within the memorandum represent the first step in the process.
The IoD would like to see an independent State Boards Appointments Committee established under the existing Public Service Appointments infrastructure, which would completely overhaul the way in which appointments to State boards are made, increasing transparency and accountability at all stages in the appointments process.
Recent independent research conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes on behalf of the Institute of Directors in Ireland among its members, found that an overwhelming 8 in 10 (84%) directors surveyed believe that appointments to State boards should be made by a State Boards Appointments Committee, independent of the political system.
81% of IoD members who sit on State boards are also in favour of this approach with fewer than 1 in 10 (7%) directors in favour of appointments being made by an all-party Oireachtas committee. The research also found that just 4% of those surveyed are in favour of maintaining the status quo.
“These results show that directors and board members of State bodies in Ireland are supportive of changing the current process to one that is entirely independent of the political system. These positions are some of the most important and influential in the country and if we want to get the best people on these boards, with the appropriate mix of skills and expertise, then we need to ensure that we have a fully open and transparent system in place to do so,” said Maura Quinn, Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors in Ireland.
While the requirement within the memorandum for candidates for the role of chairperson to be scrutinised by an Oireachtas committee will increase transparency, it may deter highly capable and qualified candidates from going forward for these positions. It is also questionable as to how effective the process will be given that the committee would have no power of veto.
The IoD believes that, before any vacancies are advertised, each State body should be required to prepare a detailed specification of skills and competencies needed by its board of directors and chairperson and this should be referred to when selecting and appointing candidates. The skills required should be reviewed on a regular basis.
“Identifying the skills needed on the board in the first instance, including those in all advertisements, and selecting candidates who possess those skills will results in better functioning State boards,” said Maura Quinn.
Ends
Media Coverage
RTE Drivetime - Maura Quinn and Minister of State Brian Hayes (audio unavailable)
« Back to Making the Headlines