asked the Minister for Local Government if the amalgamation of the National Building Advisory Council and An Foras Forbartha has yet taken place; if not, what is the reason for the long delay; and, if the new board has been appointed, how many members there are; what their names are; what salaries are being paid to the chairman and each of the members; and how many members are civil servants.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Amalgamation of Housing Bodies.
26.
The amalgamation has not yet taken place. I understand that a settlement in principle on the main outstanding issues has now been reached and that it is hoped that at a meeting of the National Building Advisory Council which has been called for this week the details of the agreement will be ratified.
As I indicated in my reply to the Deputy's question of 14th November last, I reconstituted the board of An Foras Forbartha in August, 1967, by appointing to it, initially for a period of one year, 11 additional members, including four members and the acting Chairman of the Council. There are now 16 members on the board and their names are indicated in the statement which accompanied my reply of 14th November. No remuneration is paid to the Chairman or members of the board other than the Managing Director who is a Principal Officer seconded wholetime from the Civil Service at the appropriate point in his salary scale. Seven members of the board are civil servants.
Can the Minister say whether the civil servants on the board have got any increase in pay as a result of membership of the board, and can he say whether the Federation of Builders or the Institute of Architects are represented on the board?
As a result of what?
Can the Minister say if the Federation of Builders or the Institute of Architects are represented on this board, seeing that it is a board dealing with building?
There are building contractors on the board.
Are they selected building contractors or are they representative of the Federation?
They are selected.
So they are not necessarily members of the Federation?
They are not nominated by any body.
The Minister did not answer the other part of the supplementary—whether civil servants got any increase in salary as a result of becoming members of the board?
No, they are there at the appropriate point in their salary scales.