asked the Minister for the Public Service if he will clarify his policy that the commercial State-sponsored bodies will be required to have regard to Government policy and ministerial directives in determining remuneration and conditions of employment; and if he will explain where this differs from existing policy over recent years.
Written Answers. - Commercial State-Sponsored Bodies.
34.
As announced in the series of decisions in its White Paper, Serving the Country Better, the Government intend to extend to all commercial State-sponsored bodies the statutory requirement, which already applies to some, whereby the boards of such bodies are required to have regard to Government or nationally agreed guidelines or Government policy on remuneration and conditions of employment, and to comply with any directives on these which may be issued. In this way, it is intended to standardise and give a statutory underpinning to the responsibilities in these matters which the commercial State-sponsored bodies are expected to discharge in conformity with Government policy.
The policy in regard to the commercial State-sponsored bodies has not in fact changed over recent years and the proposed legislative measure will be modelled on that first used in section 16 (4) of the Gas Act, 1976.