Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 24 Mar 1999

Vol. 502 No. 4

Written Answers. - Departmental Bodies.

Michael D. Higgins

Question:

122 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Finance the number of ad hoc advisory groups in relation to policy or implementation established in his 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. [8592/99]

Minister for Finance (Mr. McCreevy)

The following table sets out details of the various committees operating in my Department and the costs associated therewith.

Name of Committee/Group etc.	Nature of Committee/Group etc.	Costs associated with Committee/Group etc.	Outside Advisers and associated costs (if any)
Interdepartmental IT security group	Interdepartmental	None	None
Interdepartmental Records Management Working Group	Interdepartmental	None	None
Interdepartmental Year 2000 Monitoring Committee	Interdepartmental	None	None
Management Committee for Common Systems in Accounts Branches	Interdepartmental	None	None
Financial Management System (FMS) User Group	Interdepartmental	None	None
Unipay (Payroll) User Group	Interdepartmental	None	None
Management Committee for Systems in Personnel areas	Interdepartmental	None	None
COREPAY (Payroll) User Group	Interdepartmental	None	None
Interdepartmental Committee for Public Management Research	Interdepartmental	None. (There is a budget for public management research.)	None
Government Contracts Committee	Interdepartmental	Approximately £350 per annum	None
Departmental Merit Awards Committee	Ad hoc advisory	None	None
Interdepartmental Working Group on the Pre-funding of Social Welfare Pension costs	Interdepartmental	None	None
Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector	Permanent	£25,000 in 1998	None
Civil Service Arbitration Board	Permanent	£14,000 in 1998	None
Working Group on the Department of Finance Strategy for the Negotiation of a new National Programme to succeed Partnership 2000	Ad hoc	None	None
Steering Group on Systems Review of Department of Agriculture and Food	Ad hoc	Not possible to quantify at this stage. Unlikely to exceed £100,000 (including cost of Working Group – see below).	External financial management expert at £900 per day + VAT
Working Group on Systems Review of Department of Agriculture and Food	Ad hoc	See above	External financial management may assist this group
Name of Committee/Group etc.	Nature of Committee/Group etc.	Costs associated with Committee/Group etc.	Outside Advisers and associated costs (if any)
Department of Finance – Economic and Social Research Institute Liaison Group	Ad hoc	None	None
Long-term Issues Group	Ad hoc	None	None
Tax Forecasting Methodology	Ad hoc	None	None
Improving Financial Statements	Expert Working Group	£245.04 (related to the travel expenses of non-civil service group members)	None
Strategy for Ageing	Ad hoc	None	None
Certification Advisory Committee	Ad hoc	None	None
Working Group on Secondary Tax Legislation	Ad hoc	None	None
Steering Committee on Programme Evaluation	Ad hoc	Approximately £3,000 per annum	None
Implementation Advisory Group in relation to Single Regulatory Authority	Ad hoc advisory	Not possible to quantify at this stage. Unlikely to exceed £10,000	None
Freedom of Information (FOI) Working Group	Interdepartmental	Estimated at £500 per annum	None
Business Advisory Group on FOI	Advisory	Estimated at £200 per annum	None
Citizens' Advisory Group on FOI	Advisory	Estimated at £200 per annum	None
FOI Public Service Network	Permanent	None	None
Public Private Partnership – Interdepartmental Group	Interdepartmental	None	None
Public Private Partnership – Informal Advisory Group	Advisory	None	None
Money Laundering Steering Committee	Ad hoc	None	None
ICSEM: Sound and Efficient Management of EU Structural Funds	Interdepartmental	None	None
PMG Steering Group on Installation of OCR Scanner	Ad hoc	None	£3,000 consultancy costs in 1998
Financial Management System Steering Group	Ad hoc	None	£1,000 consultancy costs in 1998
PMG Steering Group on Bank Reconciliation System	Ad hoc	None	£224,000 consultancy costs associated with Bank Reconciliation System in 1998
Payroll System Steering Group	Ad hoc	None	None
Review of Financial Management and Control of European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund	Interdepartmental	None	£16,000 consultancy costs in 1998
Interdepartmental Group to Evaluate Tenders in relation to the Procurement of Air Transport and Related Services for Government Departments/Offices	Interdepartmental	None	A management consultant from KPMG was engaged to assist the group at a cost of £29,052
Tax Strategy Group	Interdepartmental	None	None
Tax/Calendar Year Working Group	Interdepartmental	None	None
Tax Credits and Standard Rating Working Group	Ad hoc Working Group	None	None
Interdepartmental Group on Environmental Taxation	Interdepartmental	None	None
Working Group to examine the Taxation Implications of the NPPI Report	Working Group	None	None
Single Currency Officers' Team	Interdepartmental	None	None
Euro Changeover Board of Ireland (ECBI)	Ad hoc	A provision of £1.680 million has been made in the 1999 Estimates in respect of the ECBI	Approximately £70,000 to advise on public information campaign in 1999
ECBI sub-committee on retail issues	Interdepartmental	None	None
ECBI sub-committee on information	Interdepartmental	None	None
Management Advisory Committee	Permanent Advisory	None	None
Assistant Secretary Group	Advisory	None	None
Principal Group	Advisory	None	None
Departmental Partnership Committee	Advisory	None	None
Committee of Principals to Examine the Implications of Ireland's Membership of the EMU	Ad hoc	None	None
Interdepartmental Committee on EU Budget Fraud	Interdepartmental	None	None
Commission on Public Service Pensions	Ad hoc advisory	£74,854 in 1998	£66,790 in 1998