Written Answers Nos. 194-200
194. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the average age of chairpersons and non-executive directors of State or partially owned State companies, of State bodies, of semi-State bodies and of State agencies under the aegis of his Department, on the State's payroll; the number of directors on the board of more than one such body; the number of women; and his plans to make savings from this area. [12556/15]
View answer195. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government the total number of chairpersons and non-executive directors of State or partially owned State companies, of State bodies, of semi-State bodies and of State agencies under the aegis of his Department on the State's payroll; the total cost to the State from the pay-out to these non-executive directors including fees, travel and other expenditure; his plans to reduce the number of these chairpersons or directors. [12606/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 194 and 195 together.
Information in relation to the number of Chairpersons, the members of the Boards and the fees for each Board is set out in the table.
|
Agency/Body |
Post |
Number of board members |
Remuneration |
|
Dublin Docklands Development Authority |
Chairperson |
1 |
Nil |
|
- |
Member |
7 |
€11,970 |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
Chairperson |
1 |
€11,970 |
|
- |
Member |
11 |
€7,695 |
|
Irish Water Safety |
Chairperson |
1 |
€8,978 |
|
- |
Member |
11 |
Nil |
|
Housing & Sustainable Communities Agency |
Chairperson |
1 |
€11,970 |
|
- |
Member |
6 |
€7,695 |
|
Local Government Management Agency |
Chairperson |
1 |
Nil |
|
- |
Member |
10 |
Nil |
|
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee |
Chairperson |
1 |
€8,978 |
|
- |
Member |
11 |
Nil |
|
Private Residential Tenancies Board/Rent Tribunal |
Chairperson |
1 |
* |
|
- |
Member |
11 |
* |
|
Western Development Commission |
Chairperson |
1 |
€ 8,978 |
|
- |
Member |
8 |
€ 5,985 |
|
Pobal |
Chair |
1 |
Nil |
|
- |
Members |
14 |
- |
|
An Bord Pleanála |
Chairperson |
1 |
Executive |
|
- |
Deputy Chair |
1 |
Executive |
|
- |
- |
- |
Executive |
|
- |
Member |
8 |
Executive |
|
- |
- |
- |
Executive |
|
Environmental Protection Agency |
Director General |
1 |
Executive |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
- |
Deputy Director General |
1 |
Executive |
|
- |
Directors |
4 |
Executive |
|
Agency/Body |
Post |
Number of board members |
Remuneration |
|
Irish Water |
Chairperson |
1 |
Executive |
|
- |
Member |
3 |
Executive |
|
Pyrite Resolution Board |
Chairperson |
1 |
Nil |
|
- |
Member |
3 |
** |
|
National Oversight and Audit Commission |
Chairperson |
1 |
€11,970 |
|
- |
Member |
11 |
€7,695 |
* Those PRTB/Rent Tribunal members of the Board, who are entitled to Board fees, are paid such fees on an attendance basis only. Details regarding the scale of fees and the amounts paid are published in the annual reports of the PRTB.
** One member of the Pyrite Resolution Board is paid a fee of €200 per meeting subject to a maximum of €2,400 per annum.
Reference to remuneration for chairs and members of Boards relates to the level of fee to which they are entitled. Where public servants are appointed to Boards, no fees are payable.
From 1 May 2009, fees were reduced by 10% in line with the Government decision to revise the fees for non-executive Chairpersons and members of Boards of State Bodies. From 1 January 2010, fees were further reduced in line with the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009. Details in relation to the expenses of Board members are also available within the respective annual reports.
There are 41 women on the Boards of the above agencies. My Department does not collect information relating to the age of members of Boards.
One member of staff represents my Department on two Boards. Two Chief Executives of local authorities are each members of two Boards.
My Department's agency modernisation/rationalisation programme has seen a significant reduction in the number of agencies, with further reductions planned for 2015 with the dissolution of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority.
Details regarding the number of agencies under the aegis of my Department which have been merged or abolished and the associated savings are contained in the Report on the Implementation of the Agency Rationalisation Programme published by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, which is available at http://per.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/Agency-rationalisation.pdf.
196. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the fact that hotels in the Killarney area of County Kerry are currently experiencing difficulties accessing high-speed affordable broadband which is now a salient offering for customer satisfaction and a key determinant in rating agencies assessments of Kerry hotels; and his plans to provide fibre optic broadband which is affordable and sufficiently robust to cater for international tourists. [12260/15]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.
The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades and enhanced services with approximately 1.6 million of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland expected to have access to commercial high speed broadband services over the next two years. These very significant investments represent a step-change in the quality of broadband services available.
Last November I published a national high speed coverage map for 2016. This map is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The areas marked BLUE represent those areas that will have access to commercial high speed broadband services by end 2016. Killarney is included in this category with many parts of the town already able to access high-speed broadband services through commercial investment. I understand work is continuing on upgrading services and should be completed in the near future.
The AMBER areas on the map show the target areas for the State intervention.
The map can be checked to establish the precise location of individual premises or residences. Any premises within the Amber area will be included in the State's intervention.
I can assure the Deputy that the National Broadband Plan aims to conclusively deal with connectivity in all parts of Ireland. I am particularly conscious of the importance of connectivity for the tourism sector and the Plan aims to ensure that citizens and businesses have access to reliable high speed broadband regardless of their location.
197. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in respect of the contract entered into with Capita for the development of a system of postcodes, if he will disclose the details specified in section 66(3) of the Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Act 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12280/15]
View answerSection 66 (3) of the Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Act 2011 provides for the terms and conditions relating to the development, implementation and maintenance of the national postcode system and in particular the following:
(a) The conditions subject to which the Eircodes will be made available. Organisations that plan to use Eircodes can buy a user licence whereby they pay a licence for each user in an organisation. Alternatively, they can buy a transaction licence, where they pay per transaction. The pricing structure is now available on the Eircode website www.eircode.ie
(b) the conditions relating to the protection of intellectual property rights. The contract referred to in subsection (2) of the Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Act 2011, was signed with Capita Business Support Services Ireland in December 2013, to develop, implement and maintain the National Postcode System for an initial 10 year period, extendable at the discretion of the Minister for Communications by a further five years. While the contract entered into with Capita for a National Postcode System is commercially sensitive, I can confirm that the State retains ownership of the Eircodes intellectual property rights.
(c) the conditions, including the making of charges, subject to which the Eircodes will be made available to any person who may wish to use it. Eircodes will be made available to the public through a free online Eircode look-up website and mobile application using GPS in smartphones to search for existing addresses and Eircodes. The free of charge Eircode look-up website will allow 15 look-ups per day to an individual.
198. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the contracts a person's businesses and-or subsidiaries (details supplied) have with his Department; the value of these contracts; their length; and the other companies who entered the tendering process that resulted in this person's companies winning the contract. [12351/15]
View answerI am not in a position to provide the Deputy with the information sought as the details provided are not sufficient to enable my Department to provide an accurate and complete reply.
199. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Communications; Energy and Natural Resources the average age of chairpersons and non-executive directors of State or partially owned State companies, of State bodies, of semi-State bodies and of State agencies under the aegis of his Department on the State's payroll; the number of directors on the board of more than one such body; the number of women; and his plans to make savings from this area. [12553/15]
View answer200. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Communications; Energy and Natural Resources the total number of chairpersons and non-executive directors of State or partially owned State companies, of State bodies, of Semi-State bodies and of State agencies under the aegis of his Department on the State's payroll; the total cost to the State from the pay-out to these non-executive directors including fees, travel and other expenditure; and his plans to reduce the number of these chairpersons or directors. [12603/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 199 and 200 together.
There are 18 State Bodies, including Regulatory Authorities, under the aegis of my Department, the majority of which are not funded directly by the taxpayer as they are either commercial semi-State companies or are funded by industry levies. Some bodies also generate their own revenue in addition to being funded by the Exchequer. I am, however, including details of all bodies in the reply, for completeness.
In the case of public bodies established by Statute, the maximum, and sometimes minimum, number of persons that may be appointed to the Board is generally set out in the relevant legislation. I have set out in the table below the maximum number of persons that could be appointed to these bodies, which includes a Chairperson in each case, together with the upper fee level that may be paid in each case.
The One Person One Salary policy introduced by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform provides that serving public sector employees are not eligible to receive remuneration in relation to their membership of boards of State bodies. Non-public sector board members may choose to voluntarily waive their fees as a matter of personal choice. Both of these policy initiatives of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform have been brought to the attention of the bodies under the aegis of my Department. Consequently, the remuneration details in the table below refer to fees that may be payable and are not indicative of fees actually being received by board members. The payment of board members' fees and expenses is an operational matter for each State body. The relevant annual reports and accounts of the individual bodies will provide the information sought.
Details of the current membership of each board under the aegis of my Department is available at http://www.egovernance.ie/.
Finally, information in relation to the average age of Chairpersons and non-executive directors is not available but I will request the relevant bodies to reply directly to the Deputy with the information requested in respect of their organisation.
Category and Rates of Fees for Bodies Under the Aegis of DCENR
|
Body |
Classification |
Category |
Board fees Applicable |
|
An Post |
Commercial |
Category 1 Maximum number of members 15 |
Chair: €31,500 Director: €15,750 |
|
Ervia |
Commercial |
Category 1 Maximum number of members 9 |
Chair: €31,500 Director: €15,750 |
|
Bord na Móna |
Commercial |
Category 2 Maximum number of members 12 |
Chair: €21,600 Director: €12,600 |
|
EirGrid |
Commercial |
Category 2 Maximum number of members 10 |
Chair: €21,600 Director: €12,600 |
|
Electricity Supply Board |
Commercial |
Category 1 Maximum number of members 12 |
Chair: €31,500 Director: €15,750 |
|
Raidió Teilifís Éireann |
Commercial |
Category 1 Maximum number of members 12 |
Chair: €31,500 Director: €15,750 |
|
Teilifís na Gaeilge |
Commercial |
Category 2 Maximum number of members 12 |
Chair: €21,600 Director: €12,600 |
|
Body |
Classification |
Category |
Board fees Applicable |
|
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland |
Regulatory |
Category 4 Maximum number of members 9 |
Chair: €8,978 Director: €5,985 |
|
Commission for Communications Regulation |
Regulatory |
No Board – 3 Commissioners |
No Fees Applicable |
|
Commission for Energy Regulation |
Regulatory |
No Board – 3 Commissioners |
No Fees Applicable |
|
**Digital Hub Development Agency |
Non-Commercial |
Category 3 Maximum number of members 14 |
Chair: €11,970 Director: €7,695 |
|
Inland Fisheries Ireland |
Non-Commercial |
Category 3 Maximum number of members 10 |
Chair: €11,970 Director: €7,695 |
|
**Irish National Petroleum Corporation |
Non-Commercial |
Technical Board Maximum number of members 5 |
Chair: €1,200 Director: €900 |
|
Loughs Agency |
North-South Body |
*Category 3 Maximum number of members 12 |
Chair: €11,970 Director: €7,695 |
|
The Mining Board |
Non-Commercial |
Fees per day/sitting Maximum number of members 3 |
€545.42 per day for public and private sittings. €200.93 per full day for any necessary attendance (other than sittings) in discharge of the Boards business. |
|
**National Oil Reserves Agency |
Non-Commercial |
Category 4 Maximum number of members 6 |
Chair: €8,978 Director: €5,985 |
|
Ordnance Survey Ireland |
Non-Commercial |
Category 3 Maximum number of members 10 |
Chair: €11,970 Director: €7,695 |
|
**Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland |
Non-Commercial |
Category 3 Maximum number of members 12 |
Chair: €11,970 Director: €7,695 |
*The Irish Exchequer pays half of the cost of Loughs Agency board fees.
** Staff in my Department are on the Board and no fee is applicable to them
