The government has unveiled new guidelines for filling positions on state boards, where every appointment will be filled externally.
But the new rules will still give ministers the final say on who will sit on each board under their control.
The new rules unveiled by Brendan Howlin will see all state boards - including the current vacancies at Irish Water - advertised on Stateboards.ie.
The new rules follow the fallout from the scandal surrounding the appointment of Fine Gael's John McNulty to the board of IMMA, just days before citing that position as grounds to run for the Seanad.