Appointments to State Boards

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 October 2012

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Questions (525, 526)

Gerry Adams

Question:

525. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide in tabular form all appointments to State boards under his ambit since the Government took office; when the person was appointed; if the position entitles the holder to remuneration and if so the amount in each case; if the appointment was made in accordance with new procedures whereby Departments has to invite expressions of interest from the public in vacancies on the boards under their aegis. [45801/12]

Gerry Adams

Question:

526. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Defence the number of chairs of State boards that have been appointed since the Government came into office; if there is a remuneration for the position and if so the amount of same; if the appointee was required to go before Oireachtas Committees to discuss what they have to offer to the particular Board or Committee to which they are being appointed. [45817/12]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

I propose to take Questions Nos. 525 and 526 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 & 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.