The three statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Social Welfare Tribunal, the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Board. In addition, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department but it does not have a Board.
Social Welfare Tribunal
No remuneration is paid to members of the Tribunal. The Tribunal meets only when and where required in order to deal with claims for Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit made in the context of an industrial dispute. Members can claim fees for attending hearings or meetings and are also entitled to claim for travel and subsistence expenses, where appropriate. There was no expenditure in 2012 and 2013 to date as no hearings or meetings were required and accordingly, no savings would have arisen if a reduction to fees had been implemented.
Citizens Information Board
Details of potential annual savings on fees for members of the Citizens Information Board are outlined in the following table.
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Total projected fees 2013
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25% saving
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Total projected fees 2014
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25% saving
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€60,000
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€15,000
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€66,000
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€16,500
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The figure given for the projected annual fees for 2013 and 2014 includes potential fees in respect of current vacancies. Two existing board members have declined to accept fees and potential amounts are not included for these. Information in relation to membership of the Citizens Information Board is available on the Department’s website at http://www.welfare.ie/EN/AboutUs/Pages/CIB_Members.aspx.
Pensions Board
The Pensions Board is a regulatory body operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection and the statutory role of the board is to monitor and supervise the operation of the Pensions Act 1990 (as amended). The operations of the Pensions Board, including payment of fees to the board members, are largely financed by annual fees payable to it by occupational pension schemes and by providers of Personal Retirement Savings Accounts and trust Retirement Annuity Contracts.
There would be no savings to the Exchequer if fees to these board members were reduced by 25%, given the source of their funding.
The Office of the Pensions Ombudsman
As the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman does not have a Board, the issue of board members’ fees does not arise.
Public Service Reform Programme – Rationalisation of State Agencies
The Public Service Reform Programme provides for a critical review of the integration of the regulatory functions of the Pensions Board with the Financial Regulator and the merging of the Pensions Ombudsman with the Financial Services Ombudsman. The critical review group, established to carry out this review, has finalised its report, the recommendations of which have been accepted by Government.
Pensions Board
The key recommendation from the critical review in relation to the Pensions Board is that a merger with the Central Bank is not recommended at this time. However, the governance structure of the Pensions Board will be restructured with two distinct arms consisting of a three-person Pensions Authority including an independent chair to provide oversight of pensions regulation and a separate unpaid Pensions Council, with a majority of members representing consumer interests, which will advise the Minister on pensions policy.
The relevant legislative measures to implement the changes to the governance structure of the Pensions Board were provided for in the Social Welfare and Pension Act 2013 and arrangements are on-going in relation to the establishment of the new structures.
