Vol. 576 No. 1
111 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of women appointed to the State boards and agencies under the auspices of her Department since she became Minister; the bodies to which they were appointed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28957/03]
The five statutory agencies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Board, the Combat Poverty Agency, Comhairle, the Social Welfare Tribunal and the Family Support Agency. The Pensions Board was established under the Pensions Act 1990 and has the general function of monitoring and supervising the operation of the Pensions Act and pensions developments generally. The current membership of the board is 17 of which seven are women. I have not appointed any members to the Pensions Board since I became Minister.
The Combat Poverty Agency was established in September 1986 under the Combat Poverty Agency Act 1986. The main functions of the agency are to advise the Minister for Social and Family Affairs on all aspects of economic and social planning in relation to poverty; to initiate and evaluate measures aimed at overcoming poverty; and to promote greater public understanding of the nature, causes and extent of poverty and the measures necessary to overcome poverty. The current membership of the board of the agency is 16 of which eight are women. I have appointed seven women to the board since I became Minister.
Comhairle has responsibility for promoting the provision of independent information, advice and advocacy services to all citizens. It was established in June 2000 and replaced the National Social Service Board and certain functions of the National Rehabilitation Board. The current membership of the board of Comhairle is 20 of which eight are women. I have appointed six women to the board since I became Minister.
The Social Welfare Tribunal is a statutory body set up in 1982 to deal with cases where entitlement to unemployment benefit or assistance is refused due to an involvement in a trade dispute. It comprises a chairperson and four ordinary members, two of whom are representative of workers and two representative of employers. The current membership of the Social Welfare Tribunal is five of which one is a woman. I have appointed one woman to the tribunal since I became Minister.
The Family Support Agency was formally established on 6 May 2003. The new agency provides a family mediation service; supports, promotes and develops the provision of marriage and relationship counselling and other family supports; supports, promotes and develops the family and community; and undertakes research, provides and disseminates information about parenting and family issues and provides advice to the Minister on matters relating to its functions. The current membership of the board of the Family Support Agency is 12 of which seven are women. I have appointed seven women to the board since I became Minister.
Question No. 112 answered with Question No. 83.
Question No. 113 answered with Question No. 84.
