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Appointments to State Boards

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2026

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

Questions (660)

Malcolm Byrne

Malcolm Byrne

Malcolm Byrne

Question:

660. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if there is a specific policy within her Department that seeks to preclude those elected to local authorities from any boards that she may appoint; the rationale behind any such policy; the way in which it aligns with encouraging participation in local government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52848/26]

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Written answers

Norma Foley

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality

There is no specific policy in place in the Department which precludes members of local authorities from being considered for appointment to the board of a body under the aegis of the Department. It is the case that the legislation establishing a body may set out eligibility requirements for board membership or provide that certain persons are ineligible for appointment to the board of the body.

There are currently five bodies under the aegis of the Department which have board structures in place; Tusla – The Child and Family Agency, The Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), The National Disability Authority (NDA), The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) and Oberstown Children Detention Campus.

In the case of two of the agencies under the remit of the Department, section 26(1)(c) of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 sets out that a person is not eligible for appointment to the Board of Tusla if they are a member of a local authority. Similarly, section 99(1)(c) of the Adoption Act 2010 states that a member of a local authority is not eligible for appointment to the board of the Adoption Authority of Ireland.

All appointments to the boards of these bodies are made in accordance with the requirements of the governing legislation and the Government Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards, published by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.

The Public Appointments Service (PAS) has responsibility for managing an open, accessible and transparent system to support Ministers in making State board appointments.

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