Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 July 2026
530. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she is satisfied with the veracity of the credentials and qualifications of all her seven appointees to the Board of Dublin Dental Hospital, as announced on 26 May 2026 via her Department’s website; and whether she will guide her Department to publish the biographical summaries of the other three appointments whose details are not yet presented online (details supplied). [50673/26]
View answerIt is a matter for me as Minister for Health to appoint members to the Board of Dublin Dental Hospital. In doing so, I am required to have regard to the provisions in the Dublin Dental Hospital (Establishment) Order 1963 and to the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards, published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
All appointments to State Boards, other than appointments explicitly provided for in the Establishment Order are made from candidates identified through an independent process conducted by stateboards, part of the Public Appointments Service (PAS). The PAS has responsibility for providing an open, accessible, rigorous and transparent system to support Ministers in making appointments to State Boards. The PAS supports Government Departments to assist in the delivery of high-quality governance and accountability through the appointment of diverse, talented and committed board members who reflect the diversity of the society it serves.
Board Members of State Boards are appointed in their capacity as individuals who bring their expertise to bear in the functions of a Board, particularly those relating to high standards of corporate governance in State Agencies. The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies describes the role of Board members as bringing an independent judgement to bear on issues of strategy, performance, resources, key appointments, and standards of conduct.
Following the process seeking suitable candidates, I have recently appointed a new Board for a four year term beginning on the 17th of February 2026.
I re-appointed one member to the new Board for another term in line with Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards (Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, 2014). This member had already gone through a previous selection process organised with the PAS. In line with the statutory provision, I appointed one Board member on the nomination of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The five remaining positions were filled through a process conducted by the PAS which advertised the vacancies on the 1st of October 2025. Applications were sought from candidates with expertise in (i) Corporate Governance and Risk Management, (ii) Human Resources and (iii) Legal Expertise.
With regards to the Board member biographies these are published on the website of my Department. In relation to the other biographical summaries, we are still awaiting these to be received from the respective candidates and I have instructed my Department officials to follow up on this. Once the relevant biographies have been received along with a consent to publish them my Department officials will arrange for these to be published on the Department of Health's website in due course.
