Women on State boards hits 40%

Minster calls for further progress as 11 male-only boards still remain

The share of women on State boards has exceeded 40% for the first time ever, according to new figures.

A survey carried out last July by the Department of Justice found the female share of State board membership is now 40.7%, up 2.3 percentage points over the last return in February 2017.

This is the first time the 40% figure has been surpassed and compares to an average of 18% on the boards of Iseq20 companies.

Women comprised 52% of the 203 appointments made to State boards last year. However, such appointments generally amount to only about a third of positions filled. Other positions are filled ex-officio, by reappointment or on the nomination of external bodies.

However, the percentage of women as chairs of State boards is just 27.5%.

The department has expressed concern about the number of positions filled through external nominations and reappointments, which do not go through the Public Appointments Service. In some sectors, the proportion of appointments that have gone to women in the last 18 months is as low as one in four.

As a result, the department will chair an interdepartmental group to identify and report on best practices which could be adopted across government.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said that, despite the increase, more progress needed to be made.

“This is the highest female representation to date,” he said. “It is also important to note, however, that this is just an average. The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to every State board reaching the 40% target, yet only 48.9% of boards currently do so. I do not believe that sufficient progress has been made in some sectors.

It is particularly disappointing that there remains 11 single gender boards with no female representation. This is something which must be addressed.

Meanwhile, the amount paid in compensation to victims of crime is set to soar this year due to a number of large awards.

Mr Flanagan confirmed that he has set aside an additional €2.24m for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal this year. In a written Dáil reply to Fianna Fáil’s Sean Fleming, he said

the €2.4m will bring to €6.4m the amount available to the tribunal this year.

He said he approved the additional €2.4m “in view of a number of large awards from the general scheme in the current year”.

Last year, €3.97m was paid out to 117 claimants, with the highest amount paid out was €954,000.

Some €3.76m was paid in 2016, with €4m paid in 2016. The highest individual payment made in recent years was €1.85m made in 2014.

The number of applications received last year was 181 and this represented a decline of 14% on the 210 applications received in 2016.

The minister said it is not possible at this time to state the number of cases awaiting decision and those which are deemed to be open.

“I have, however, requested an assessment of the caseload of the tribunal and have asked my officials to examine this assessment and seek the views of the Criminal Injuries Tribunal in this regard,” said Mr Flanagan.