Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2026
593. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there is a specific policy within his Department that seeks to preclude those elected to local authorities from any boards that he may appoint; the rationale behind any such policy; the way in which it aligns with encouraging participation in local government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52847/26]
View answer594. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to commit to preparing legislation to not automatically exclude members of local authorities from consideration for appointment to State boards; and to set out the reasons such persons would be excluded. [52865/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 593 and 594 together.
My Department does not have a specific policy to preclude Local Authority members from serving on State Boards. Whether or not Local Authority members are excluded from taking up positions on State Boards depends on the legislation establishing the particular State body.
Some of the State Boards under the remit of my Department make exclusions only in relation to members of the Oireachtas, Seanad Éireann and members of the European Parliament.
The State Boards under the remit of my Department which preclude members of Local Authorities from Board positions under their establishing legislation are:
An Rialálaí Agraibhia (The Agri-Food Regulator), under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act.
The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), under Section 55 (4) of the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006.
The Aqua Licence Appeals Board (ALAB), under Section 23 1 (A) of the Fisheries Amendment Act 1997.
All appointments to the State Bodies falling under my remit are made both in accordance with the Code of Governance for State Bodies and the relevant parent legislation governing each of the State Bodies. All relevant vacancies are advertised on the State Boards website administered by publicjobs. Some positions, such as a workers' representative, may be reserved for a representative of a stakeholder group and these would not be advertised or processed through publicjobs.
