Written Answers. - Non-Commercial Agencies.
Richard Bruton
Ceist:
89
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
when annual reports were most recently published for each non-commercial agency under the aegis of his Department; when annual accounts were most recently published by these bodies; whether they are subject to outside scrutiny by the Comptroller and Auditor General or another independent audit body; whether the public have a right to see a register of members interests in relation to these bodies; whether they allow members of the public attend their meetings; whether board papers or minutes are available for public inspection where matters of commercial or legal confidentiality are not involved; whether there is a procedure specifying the circumstances in which he may direct these bodies; and whether they are free to publish advice relevant to the public without recourse to him.
[18938/97]
APSO, the Agency for Personal Services Overseas, a statutory body established in 1974, is concerned with the transfer of skills to developing countries by qualified Irish people. It receives an annual grant-in-aid from the Department of Foreign Affairs, which in 1997 amounts to £10.6 million. APSO is governed by an 11 member voluntary board of directors who are appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
When was an annual report most recently published: a report for 1996/7 has just been published.
When were annual accounts most recently published: accounts for the year ended 31 December 1996 were published with its annual report.
Is the agency subject to Comptroller and Auditor General scrutiny: yes, under subhead D of the Vote for International Co-operation.
Do the public have a right to see a register of members' interests: no such register is kept.
Is the agency subject to parliamentary scrutiny: yes, as part of the Vote for International Co-operation of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the agency is subject to scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee.
Are members of the public allowed to attend meetings: no.
Are board papers or minutes available for public inspection: no.
Is there a procedure specifying the circumstances in which Minister may direct the agency: APSO is a limited company governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. These do not specify any circumstances in which the Minister may direct APSO. A representative of the Department of Foreign Affairs is an APSO board member.
Is the agency free to publish advice relevant to the public without recourse to the Minister: yes.
The Refugee Agency was established by the Government in April 1991 to co-ordinate arrangements for the admission, reception and resettlement of programme refugees. The agency is a non-statutory body funded by and operating under the aegis of the Department of Foreign Affairs. In 1997 the grant-in-aid for the agency is £324,000. The board of the Refugee Agency is appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs for a two year period and is composed of an independent chairperson and representative of seven Government Departments most involved in refugee issues. In addition, six observer members are appointed, and represent the UNHCR, voluntary agencies and individuals active in the field of refugee welfare.
When was an annual report most recently published: a report for 1995 was published in December of last year. The agency has prepared, and will shortly publish, its report for 1996.
When were annual accounts most recently published: accounts for the year ended 31 December 1995 were published with its 1995 report. Accounts for the year ended 1996 will be published shortly with the 1996 annual report.
Is the agency subject to Comptroller and Auditor General scrutiny: yes, under subhead H of the Vote for International Co-operation.
Do the public have a right to see a register of members' interests: no such register is kept.
Is the agency subject to parliamentary scrutiny: yes, as part of the Vote for International Co-operation of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the agency is subject to scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee.
Are members of the public allowed to attend meetings: no.
Are board papers or minutes available for public inspection: no.
Is there a procedure specifying the circumstances in which the Minister may direct the agency: the agency is governed by its terms of reference which do not specify any particular circumstances in which the Minister may direct them. A representative of the Department of Foreign Affairs is a board member of the agency.
Is the agency free to publish advice relevant to the public without recourse to the Minister: yes.
The Irish Aid Advisory Committee was established in 1993, as an independent body, to provide the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of State with responsibility for development aid, with policy advice on the effective delivery and future strategies of Irish Aid. There are 14 voluntary members on the committee who have a proven expertise or interest in development assistance, appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. An allocation of £128,000 for 1997 was proposed to cover the total operating cost of IACC, including the cost of its secretariat.
When was an annual report recently published: the committee does not produce an annual report.
When were annual accounts most recently published: the committee does not publish its annual accounts.
Is the committee subject to Comptroller and Auditor General scrutiny: yes, under subhead C of the Vote for International Cooperation.
Do the public have a right to see a register of members' interests: no such register is kept.
Is the committee subject to parliamentary scrutiny: yes, as part of the Vote for International Co-operation of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the committee is subject to scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee.
Are members of the public allowed to attend meetings: no.
Are board papers or minutes available for public inspection: no.
Is there a procedure specifying the circumstances in which Minister may direct the committee: the committee is governed by its terms of reference which state its functions are to:
offer expert advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of State with responsibility for development aid, on; matters relating to development co-operation;
policy aspects of Ireland's aid programme; particular issues which arise in relation to the operation, consolidation and expansion of the Irish aid programme and; other matters on which the Ministers would wish to have the committee's views.
undertake research on issues of relevance to the Irish aid programme.
Is the committee free to publish advice relevant to the public without recourse to the Minister: subject to the prior agreement of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the committee may have research conducted on its behalf and arrange for publication.
The National Committee for Development Education (NCDE) was set up in 1994 to promote development education in Ireland. Its 16 members are appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs to represent the various sectors involved in development education. The budget for the NCDE in 1997 is £1,000,000 of which approximately £785,000 will be paid in grants to development education organisations.
When was an annual report most recently published: a report for 1994-96 was published in June of this year.
When were annual accounts most recently published: accounts for the year ended 31 December 1996 were published with its annual report.
Is the committee subject to Comptroller and Auditor General scrutiny: yes, under subhead C of the Vote for International Co-operation.
Do the public have a right to see a register of members' interests: no such register is kept.
Is the committee subject to parliamentary scrutiny: yes, as part of the Vote for International Co-operation of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the committee is subject to scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee.
Are members of the public allowed to attend meetings: no.
Are board papers or minutes available for public inspection: no.
Is there a procedure specifying the circumstances in which Minister may direct the committee: the committee is governed by its terms of reference which do not specify any particular circumstances in which the Minister may direct them. A representative of the Department of Foreign Affairs is a committee member.
Is the committee free to publish advice relevant to the public without recourse to the Minister: yes.
