The Boards Role

Boards of state bodies are appointed by Ministers and are accountable to Ministers for the implementation of policy. The role of the board of any state body is

• to act as trustee for, and be the guardian of, the interests of the minister and any other shareholders;
• to ensure that the body carries out its responsibilities as set out by statute or by ministerial order;
• to provide leadership, vision and direction for the body;
• to ensure good management, to monitor the achievements of management and ensure that a proper balance is achieved between the respective roles of board and management;
• to set performance targets, including key financial targets and, in particular, to agree and closely monitor the budget;
• to ensure that the body behaves ethically and in a manner that accords with the core values of the body;
• to define and promote the body’s role in the community by developing mechanisms for gathering the views of customers and stakeholders and by keeping people informed in an open, accountable and responsible way;
• to define the mission of the body, decide its strategic goals and develop the policies required to achieve those goals: and
• to appoint a chief executive officer and agree with him/her the short and long-term performance objectives.