Departmental Bodies

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 December 2011

Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Questions (137, 138, 139)

Kevin Humphreys

Question:

137 Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the budget expenditure granted to Science Foundation Ireland on an annual basis from 2000 to 2011 in tabular form, with a breakdown of capital and current funding; if he will provide the total cost of remunerating the board of SFI, a breakdown of the individual remuneration provided to each board member, and the salary of the chief executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38756/11]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Deputy Sean Sherlock)

The total Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) expenditure over the period 2000-2011 is shown in Table 1 below. The 2011 figures are estimated.

Table 1: SFI expenditure 2000-2011 inclusive.

Year	Capital/ research grants (€)	Current expenditure/pay (€)	Administrative costs of running grant programmes (€)	Other (€)
2000	0	0	0.40m	0
2001	8.76m	0.43m	1.69m	0
2002	31.00m	0.90m	3.10m	0
2003	65.00m	1.00m	3.42m	0
2004	108.59m	1.32m	3.82m	0
2005	118.20m	2.74m	4.62m	0
2006	139.86m	3.21m	4.49m	0
2007	155.72m	3.56m	4.77m	0
2008	158.81m	4.37m	5.01m	0
2009	171.17m	4.67m	4.54m	0
2010	150.00m	4.32m	3.92m	0
2011	153.8m	4.29m	3.56m	5m*

*Contribution for e-Journals, which formed part of the transfer of the Programme for Research in Third-level Institutions from the Department of Education and Skills. The e-Journals provision was not an extra funding requirement for the Exchequer in 2011.

Details of the 2010 remuneration made to Board members of SFI, as outlined in the 2010 Annual Report and Accounts, are shown in Table 2.

Table 2: SFI Board Members' Remuneration 2010

Board Members	Amount Paid in 2010
Sean Ahearne	€13,463
Tom Boland	€0
Dr. Rita Colwell	€12,600
Bernie Cullinane	€13,463
Prof. Patrick Fottrell (Chairman)	€21,600
Prof. Frank Gannon	€11,722
Peter MacDonagh	€12,600
Dr. Martina Newell McGloughlin	€12,600
Dr. James Mountjoy	€12,600
Martin Shanagher	€0
John Travers	€12,600
Dr. Don Thornhill	€7,108
Pat Duane	€3,219
Total for 2010	€133,575

SFI Board members who are public servants do not receive a fee for board membership.

Board fees have subsequently been reduced by a further 5% to €20,520 per annum for the Chairperson and €11,970 per annum for ordinary board members. This adjustment was implemented by SFI in February 2011 and backdated to the beginning of 2010.

Recruitment of a Director General for SFI is currently on-going. The applicable salary amount is under consideration by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Kevin Humphreys

Question:

138 Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the capital budget granted to Science Foundation Ireland that was spent on salaries of researchers from 2000 to 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38757/11]

Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Deputy Sean Sherlock)

Researchers funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) are employed by their respective higher education institutions. Therefore individual researcher salaries are a matter for the higher education institutions.

SFI is currently supporting approximately 3,000 researchers. On average, approximately 60% of any SFI grant award is a contribution to the salary costs of the researcher teams. The remainder of the SFI award goes towards supporting the research effort through overheads provision to the relevant higher education institution and covering the cost of necessary research equipment.

Given the volume of individual awards, in excess of 2,200 to date, and the several thousands of researchers directly supported by SFI since its establishment in 2000, it is not possible to specify precisely the amount of capital grants that were a contribution to the salaries of researchers.

Kevin Humphreys

Question:

139 Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the pension entitlements of researchers employed under capital grants distributed by Science Foundation Ireland; if they are subject to the public sector pension levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38758/11]

Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Deputy Sean Sherlock)

Currently Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is directly supporting approximately 3,000 researchers in Ireland's higher education institutions. The researchers in receipt of SFI grants are employed by the various higher education institutions. Consequently pension entitlements are a contractual matter between the individual researchers and their respective employers.

Members of research teams who are classed as public servants are subject to the public sector pension levy.

The Deputy should note that responsibility for employment conditions in the higher education sector falls to my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills.