Government announces reform of State board appointments
All positions on state boards will have to be publicly advertised in future, under new rules agreed by the government.
The Cabinet has signed off on new rules for filling the positions, in the wake of outcry over the John McNulty affair.
But individual ministers will still have the final say in who gets appointed - and could still choose members of their own political party.
Minister Brendan Howlin says people who have held public office are often the most qualified people to sit on a state board:
"We need to make sure that people can have confidence in whoever is appointed," he said.
"Now, there's almost a view that if you're associated with a political party, you somehow are not eligible [for a board appointment], whereas some of the most eligible people that have been appointed in the past to any public role have served in public office."
