Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 September 2012
109. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Arts; Heritage and the Gaeltacht the statutory powers that have been delegated to Ministers of State in his Department; and the date on which the statutory powers were delegated. [40775/12]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) (No.2) Act, 1977, provides, inter alia, for the delegation of powers and duties from Ministers to Ministers of State by way of a Government Order. Such Orders are normally made where a Minister of State is expected to carry out statutory functions on behalf of a Minister. It should be noted that every power or duty delegated continues to be vested in the Minister of the Government concurrently with the Minister of State and may be exercised or performed by either. Against this background, a Delegation of Functions Order entitled Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 was agreed by Government and signed by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny T.D. on 26 July 2011 which provides for the delegation of functions relating to the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and Islands by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to the Minister of State with special responsibility for Gaeltacht Affairs. The Order was prepared in accordance with the guidance provided by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. The Deputy can access the full text of the Order through the following link:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2011/en/si/0427.html
