Vol. 502 No. 4
151 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the number of ad hoc advisory groups in relation to policy or implementation established in her Department; the number of statutory committees; the number of other permanent groups; the number of interdepartmental groups; the cost of each in a full year; and the cost of individual advisers in the same period. [8596/99]
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 333 of 25 November 1998. Additional groups formed since that date include: the Consultative Committee on the Heritage of the Burren; the Special Areas of Conservation Appeals Advisory Board; and an interdepartmental committee to review the implementation of industrial development within Galway County Borough, or other areas where Údarás na Gaeltachta and other industrial development agencies operate.
With regard to the cost of groups, the Special Areas of Conservation Appeals Advisory Board is estimated to cost some £10,000 in the current year. Costs will also arise in relation to the think tank for the film industry but these have not yet been determined. In the case of other groups, no major expenditure is foreseen, apart from normal costs relating to travel, subsistence, etc. The Deputy may wish to note, however, that the group formed to manage the separation of the RTÉ transmission network and the establishment of a new joint venture company to build and operate this country's digital terrestrial television infrastructure, has selected, by public competition, a consortium of consultants to act as advisers to my Department on the establishment of the new entity and the contract is being finalised at present.
With regard to the cost of individual advisers, I have engaged a special policy adviser – a Principal Officer of my Department – on a current salary of £47,713 per annum and a press adviser, who is a public servant on secondment, at a salary of £46,988 per annum.
