7 board directors will earn £54k

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, last week re-appointed Mr Niall Birthistle; Mrs Stella Cummings; Mrs Joan Doherty; Dr Brendan McCarthy; Mr Ciaran Mulgrew; Mrs Sally O’Kane; and Mrs Barbara Stuart to the board. Each will receive an annual remuneration of £7,803.

The re-appointments, which were made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland, are for the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2015.

The Western HSC Trust is managed directly by a board of directors which has corporate responsibility for its operation. The board is made up of five executive directors and seven non-executive directors and a non-executive Chair.

The appointments were made with the approval of the then Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety. There are no specific qualifications for appointment.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. All appointees declared that they had not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.