Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2004
112 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the composition of the management advisory committee of his Department; the number of times it has met since its formation; the number of times he has attended it in person; and the issues it has considered. [14979/04]
View answerThe management advisory committee, MAC, of the Department of Foreign Affairs comprises the secretary general and the heads of each of the Department's ten divisions and of the inspection and internal audit unit. The Minister and Ministers of State also regularly attend MAC meetings.
A committee of this type has existed in the Department for more than 30 years but it has not been possible to establish the number of times it has met since its establishment. At present, and this is likely to have been the situation over the years, the MAC aims to meet approximately once every month. In 2003, for example, 11 meetings were held, three of which I and the Ministers of State attended. Three meetings have been held to date in 2004, of which I attended one. The next meeting will be held on 1 June. The number of MAC meetings held during the first half of this year has been restricted due to the travel commitments associated with the Presidency.
The issues considered by the MAC relate to its main function, which is to advise the Minister, the Ministers of State and the Secretary General on departmental policies and strategies, on progress towards achieving the objectives set out in the strategy statements of the Department and on departmental management, including, in particular, financial and human resource management.
The Deputy may wish to know that, in addition to bilateral meetings as and when required, the Secretary General also holds twice-weekly general co-ordination meetings with all heads of divisions or their Deputies present, during which the major issues of the day and ongoing issues are reviewed.
