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Appointments to State Boards

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 July 2012

Tuesday, 17 July 2012

Questions (620, 621)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

634 Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Defence if he will outline the total number of appointments to State boards since March 2011 under the aegis of his Department; the total number of appointments that have been advertised on his Department’s website; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35604/12]

View answer

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

635 Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Defence the number of chairpersons appointed to State boards since March 2011 who have appeared before the relevant Oireachtas joint committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35617/12]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 634 and 635 together.

The State Boards under the aegis of the Department of Defence are the Civil Defence Board and the Army Pensions Board. The Civil Defence Act 2002 provides that the Board shall consist of at least eight but not more than fourteen members who shall be appointed by the Minister for Defence. Legislation is currently being drafted to dissolve the Civil Defence Board and transfer the functions of the Board back into the Department of Defence. I appointed the current Board as an interim measure from 2011. In this context, none of the positions were advertised, nor was the chairperson interviewed by an Oireachtas committee.

Membership of the interim Board appointed from 2011 is set out in the following table:

Name

Nominating Bodies

Civil Defence Board Chairperson

Mr. Brian Spain — Director, Department of Defence

Nominated by Minister for Defence

Civil Defence Board Members

Mr. Cathal Duffy — Principal Officer, Department of Defence

Nominated by the Minister for Defence

Ms Clare Tiernan — Principal Officer, Department of Defence

Nominated by the Minister for Defence

Mr. Robert Mooney — Principal Officer, Department of Defence

Nominated by the Minister for Defence

Mr. Bill Smith — Director General, Civil Defence Board

Appointed as Director General, Civil Defence Board

Mr. Ned Gleeson — County Manager, Limerick City Council

Nominated by City and County Managers Association

Mr. Keith Leonard — Assistant Fire Advisor

Nominated by the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government

Dr. Barbara Rafferty

Nominated by Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland

Ms Becci Cantrell

Nominated by the Environmental Protection Agency

Ms Veronica Forde — Assistant Civil Defence Officer

Nominated by the Civil Defence Officers Association

Lt. Col. Tony Kelly — SSO, Defence Forces

Nominated by the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces

Chief Superintendent Orla Mc Partlin — An Garda Síochána

Nominated by the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána

Mr. Fergal Conroy

Elected volunteer member of Civil Defence

Ms Eileen Joyce

Elected staff member of the Civil Defence Board

The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act 1927. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners of whom one must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The chairman and the non military ordinary member are appointed by the Minister for Defence with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Army Medical Corps ordinary member is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.

The position of Army Medical Corps ordinary member became vacant due to retirement in 2011, and I have since appointed Commandant Adam Lagun to the Board on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff. As the Army Pensions Act 1927 specifies that one of the ordinary members must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps, this position could not be advertised on the Department's website. Details of Commandant Lagun's appointment to the Army Pensions Board were published in the Iris Oifigiúl. All appointments to Boards under the aegis of my Department are in accordance with the relevant legislation or regulations.

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