There are 12 committees or groups in existence in my Department which involve other Departments of State. A senior officials group on European affairs has been established to support the work of the Cabinet committee on European affairs. It comprises senior officials of key Departments with a policy role in EU issues. The role of the group is to monitor major EU issues and prepare the agenda and the policy papers required for consideration by the Cabinet committee on European affairs. The senior officials group has met eight times since the beginning of the year. The committee will continue to meet as necessary.
The interdepartmental group on the implementation of the Government's action plan for the information society is headed by my Department. This group is chaired by an assistant secretary and representation on the group is at assistant secretary level. The function of the group is to progress and co-ordinate the implementation of the Government's action plan for the information society. The group meets every few months and will be in existence for the duration of the action plan. There is no ministerial involvement in the committee.
The interdepartmental group on access has been established to devise a strategy to implement the recommendations of the report IT Access for All published by the Information Society Commission. The group is chaired by an assistant principal and representation is mainly at that level. The group meets as required and will continue to operate until an access strategy has been devised for consideration by Government. The last meeting was held in June. There is no ministerial involvement in the committee.
The interdepartmental strategy group on employment and unemployment is comprised exclusively of officials from relevant Departments and FÁS. On average, the group meets every three months. It is intended that it will continue in existence for at least the duration of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.
The liaison committee on MediaLab Europe and Digital Media District Limited is comprised of representatives from relevant Departments and State agencies. To date, the committee has held two meetings, the last one being held on 5 November. It is envisaged that the committee will continue in existence until MLE and the digital media village have been developed in line with the Government's policy.
The IFSC clearing house group is chaired by my Department with representatives of the financial services industry, together with representatives of the Departments of Finance, Public Enterprise and Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. The group generally meets every two months. There is no time limit on the existence of the group.
The IFSC public sector group is chaired by a representative of my Department. It includes representatives of the Departments of Finance, Public Enterprise, Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Education and Science, the Environment and Local Government, the Marine and Natural Resources and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. There are also representatives of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, the Central Bank and IDA Ireland. The group meets on average every three months. There is no time limit on the existence of the group.
The cross-departmental team on infrastructural development and public private partnership is led by my Department, with representatives of the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Finance, Public Enterprise, the Environment and Local Government, Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Office of the Attorney General. The general purpose of the committee is to oversee the delivery of key infrastructure in the context of the national development plan. It has met on 11 occasions to date. Meetings of the committee and team are usually held every four to six weeks and the last meeting was held on 10 October. There is no time limit on the life of the Cabinet sub-committee or the cross-departmental team.
A project steering group which oversees the development of the Sports Campus Ireland project is chaired by my Department. The project is funded from my Department's Vote for this year but, now that it is off the ground, responsibility will be transferred to the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation from 2001. The group comprises officials from my Department, the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation, the Department of Finance, the Office of Public Works and Campus and Stadium Ireland Development limited. There is no ministerial involvement in the project steering group. The steering group first met on 25 September and will remain in existence for the duration of the Sports Campus Ireland project, which is due to be completed in 2005.
The SMI implementation group was established by the Government in July 1997 with a mandate to drive the reform process forward within the Civil Service. The group is chaired by Mr. Dermot McCarthy, Secretary General to the Government and comprises the secretaries general of all Departments. The group meets on a monthly basis; the last meeting was held on 4 October 2000. There is no ministerial involvement in the group and there is no time limit on the existence of the group.
The steering committee on the OECD review was set up to oversee participation in the OECD country review of regulatory reform. This steering committee is chaired by an assistant secretary from my Department. It is comprised exclusively of officials from relevant Departments and Forfás. There is no ministerial involvement in the committee. It has met eight times and will finish its work at the end of the review process which is expected to be in March 2001.
A central review mechanism has been established in accordance with the monitoring arrangements set out in section 5.3 of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. Its task is "to identify the appropriate arrangements to oversee the implementation of the four Operational Frameworks in the Agreement, to assess progress, and to address the strategic issues arising in order to review and monitor the operation of the Programme". It comprises representatives from all the relevant Departments as well as the social partners. The group meets once a quarter and the last meeting was held at the end of July. There is no ministerial involvement but I chair one meeting in the year which is also attended by the Tánaiste and the Minister for Finance. The central review mechanism will remain in place until the PPF expires at the end of 2002.