Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 27 Jun 1995

Vol. 455 No. 1

Written Answers. - Ministerial Appointments.

Bertie Ahern

Question:

132 Mr. B. Ahern asked the Minister for Social Welfare the persons appointed by him or by Ministers of State at his Department as programme managers, advisers, secretaries, assistants, counsellors or back-up staff either in his Department or in constituency offices; the annualised remuneration being paid to these staff: the names of individuals, groups or companies which have undertaken or have been approved to undertake full-time, part-time or casual consultancies, reviews, examinations or analysis or any public relations services on his behalf or on behalf of Ministers of State at his Department; the actual or estimated cost in this regard; the persons, companies, consultants, attachés or otherwise he or Ministers of State at his Department have appointed to semi-State bodies under the aegis of his Department; and any reviews, consultancies or reports he or Ministers of State at his Department have commissioned or are due to commission; and the full cost in respect of all these matters. [11913/95]

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa)

I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 165 on 13 June 1995 from Deputy Joe Walsh which contains much of the data now sought. Information on matters not addressed in that reply is as follows.

In addition to the details in the reply on 13 June regarding staff appointments, the Minister of State at my Department, Deputy Durkan, has a personal secretary, Ms Rose Kearns, whose annual remuneration is £12,813 and two civilian drivers who receive the standard annual salary of £13,185.

Neither I nor the Minister of State have employed or commissioned individuals, groups or companies to undertake full-time, part-time or casual consultancies, reviews, examinations, analysis or public relations services. In addition to the information which I provided to Deputy Walsh about consultants engaged by the Department in the course of its ongoing business, the Work Research Co-operation — WRC — Social and Economic Consultants Ltd. have since been retained to carry out a detailed evaluation of the back to work allowance and the area allowance enterprise schemes.

Since taking up office as Minister for Social Welfare, I appointed Ms Anna Lee, manager of Tallaght Partnership as chairperson of the Combat Poverty Agency — CPA — following the retirement of her predecessor Mr. Gerry Flynn. I also appointed Dr. Donal de Buitléir, head of group taxation with the AIB bank group and currently a member of the expert working group on the integration of the tax and social welfare systems as chairperson of the National Social Service Board NSSB. I also appointed Mr. Michael Keegan, former Secretary of the Department of Labour as chairman of the Social Welfare Tribunal and the following new members to the tribunal.

IBEC Nominees

Mr. Thomas Noonan, General Manager, Maxol Ltd.

Ms Hazel Bye, D. O'Brien & Co.

ICTU Nominees

Mr. Kevin Duffy, General Secretary ICTU

Ms Dympna Harper, Executive Council, SIPTU

Neither I nor the Minister of State have appointed any consultants, companies, attachés or otherwise to semi-State bodies under the aegis of this Department.