Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2004
57 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the composition of the management advisory committee of her Department; the number of times it has met since its formation; the number of times she has attended it in person; and the issues it has considered. [14975/04]
View answerThe management board, or management advisory committee, of my Department is a collegiate body established to ensure the Department is managed as a corporate entity. This envisages the board taking a central role in the formulation of strategy, in the development and monitoring of the business planning process and deciding resource allocation. Issues of a key policy, strategic and management nature are discussed collectively before submission, as appropriate, to me for consideration at a political level.
The management board meets on the second and fourth Friday of every month, with the exception of August. The board is comprised of the Secretary General, each assistant secretary, the planning officer — an ex-officio member — and such other persons, from within or outside the Department as the board may agree. The chief executive of Forfás is one such outside member. As a positive action to address the gender imbalance resulting from current membership, one female principal officer is also a full member. The board is chaired by the Secretary General and in his absence by an assistant secretary.
The management board drives and monitors the business planning process in the Department each year. It carries out a mid-term review of progress in quarter three of the business planning cycle and approves, in quarter four, new plans for the following year. In addition, the board considers a wide range of issues which impact on the Department's strategies, policies and practices across areas such as enterprise policy, labour market policy, trade policy, employment rights and industrial relations, science, technology and innovation, EU issues, company law, consumer and competition issues and many more.
I do not attend management board meetings, since I consider all decisions of a policy or strategic nature directly with board members and their colleagues on an ongoing basis. However, I receive copies of the agenda and associated papers in advance and a written report of meetings afterwards.
