Vol. 437 No. 6
287 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the degree of responsibility he has to Dáil Éireann in respect of the Registrar of Friendly Societies; the plans, if any, he has to introduce legislation to make this institution more accountable in general and to Dáil Éireann in particular; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Registrar of Friendly Societies is appointed by me under the Friendly Societies Acts, 1896 to 1977. He is an independent Statutory Officer with powers, duties and functions under various Acts. My functions in this area relate to policy matters and legislation and not to the day-to-day running of the Registry. The Registrar has a statutory obligation to submit a report to me each year on his activities and this report is lodged in the Oireachtas Library.
The registrar has clearly signified his readiness to deal directly with questions about the day to day discharge of his functions. I have not had any suggestions indicating a necessity to introduce legislation to make the Registrar more accountable.
