The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, has appointed a new board at FAS, the State jobs and training authority.

It is thought the nominations followed a request by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to the business lobby IBEC and the ICTU to submit six names each from which four each were chosen as director.

IBEC's chosen nominees were: Ms Cathy Crowley, of textile firm Comer International; Mr Sexton Cahill, of Golden Vale; Mr Joe Morgan, of Mercury Engineering; and Ms Caroline Casey, of Accenture - formerly Anderson Consulting.

Those chosen from the ICTU nominees included Mr Des Geraghty, and Mr Billy Attley. The other two were Ms Alice Prendergast, and Mr Owen Wills.

Ms Harney nominated two directors. They were: Mr Sean Gorman, assistant secretary general of the labour force development division at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; and Mr Dermot O'Callaghan, owner of the Failte Hotel in Killarney, Co Kerry.

Ms Bernadette Lacey will represent the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs. The Department of Education and Science will be represented by Ms Kathleen McLoughin. The Department of Finance appointee is Mr Dermot Quigley.

FAS employees appointed to the board were Mr Peter Cullen and Mr Michael Dolan.

Mr Dermot Lacey, Labour's development officer, was also appointed to the board.