I would like to inform the Deputy that since my Department was established in June 2011 to the present time, five non-commercial State agencies have been funded by the Exchequer through my Department's Vote. These were the Child and Family Agency, the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), the Family Support Agency (FSA), the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) and the Ombudsman for Children. With effect from 1 January 2012, I have taken responsibility for the Children Detention Schools as provided in Part 10 of the Children Act 2001.
Apart from the Ombudsman for Children's Office which does not have a board, I am responsible for all board of management appointments.
Since I took office in March 2011, I have directly appointed 48 persons to the boards of management under the aegis of my Department.
As the Deputy may be aware, in line with the Government decision of April 2011, new arrangements were put in place for the making of appointments to State Boards and bodies. Following this Government Decision, on my Department's website I have invited expressions of interest from persons interested in being appointed to the boards of State Bodies and Agencies operating under the Department's aegis. The notice indicates the vacancies in the boards of the respective bodies. My officials acknowledge all expressions of interest received and maintain a database of those expressions. My Department’s website is monitored and updated on a regular basis to reflect the number of vacancies as they arise.
Expressions of interest for the Board of the Management of the Family Support Agency were also sought via the Public Appointments Service (PAS) who ran a competition for the filling of vacancies on that Board. Following this process, the Minister appointed members to the Board of Management of the Family Support Agency in September 2013.
The membership of the board of the Family Support Agency was appointed to the board of the new Child and Family Agency on its establishment on January 1st 2014. Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board were dissolved and the service provision for these Agencies along with Child and Family Services previously provided by the HSE transferred to the new Agency on its establishment.
In making my decisions on appointments to boards, subject to the governing legislation, I consider the most suitable persons for the positions available with due regard to the body or agency in question and its particular responsibilities and I seek to ensure that the appropriate mix of skills and experience is in place to achieve the best result.
With regard to the issue of fees, I can confirm that the average annual fees currently paid to board members on the:
- Child and Family Agency are €11,970 for an ordinary member and €20,520 for a chairperson
- Adoption Authority are €7,965 for an ordinary member and €63,120 for a chairperson
The Board of Management of the Children’s Detention Schools have waived their fees. In line with established practice, each Board Member of the recently established Child and Family Agency, in their letter of appointment, was given the option of waiving their fees, entirely at their own discretion.
