As the Deputy is aware, a steering group from my Department, which included two members from the private sector, carried out a review of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. It produced a report containing 48 recommendations involving corporate governance arrangements, accountability, Revenue's core business, organisation structures and support services, and management procedures. In particular, the review recommends the establishment of a new governing board of Revenue to replace the current statutory board, to comprise the current Revenue chairman, the other two Revenue commissioners and three independent non-executive directors, one of whom should be vice-chairman.
The final report of the Committee of Public Accounts parliamentary inquiry into DIRT, which was published on 3 April last, considered the report of the steering group and recommended that the board of the Revenue Commissioners should have three executive and three non-executive members but that one of the non-executive members should be chairman. I am giving careful consideration to the recommendations in these two reports and as soon as I have completed my consideration of the issues involved, I will bring proposals to Government.
The Revenue Commissioners advise me that they have already taken a number of measures to implement the steering group's recommendations in areas which do not require Government decisions. These recommendations are concerned with the extensive changes in the way Revenue is internally organised below board level and take account of Revenue's proposals following a root and branch review undertaken by them. My Department has sanctioned an extra 31 posts to provide the resources necessary to advance this work.
