Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2012
1308. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Defence the number of agencies, authorities, boards, committee s, working groups, tribunals, council services, task forces, agencies or other quangos set up by his Department since February 2011; the number abolished since then; the extra cost of quangos which were established; the savings from the abolition of quangos; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37242/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra1309. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Defence the estimated cost of each quango in his Department; the amount expected to be saved from the mergers of quangos in his Department; the basis for this figure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37258/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra1315. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Defence the total number of board appointees he has made since he came to office; the names, salaries and expenses of each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37354/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra1339. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Defence the number of State bodies that have been set up since 9 March 2011; the rationale behind these decisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39994/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra1342. Deputy Gerald Nash asked the Minister for Defence the number of appointments that have been made to positions available on the boards of semi-State companies and statutory agencies following public advertisement; if he will provide details of the names of persons who have been appointed under this initiative and the agencies on which they now sit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40032/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1308, 1309, 1315, 1339 and 1342 together.
The State Boards under the aegis of the Department of Defence are the Civil Defence Board, the Army Pensions Board and the Board of Coiste an Asgard.
The budget allocation for these agencies for 2011 and 2012 is set out as follows:
|
Year |
Civil Defence Board |
Army Pensions Board |
Coiste an Asgard |
|
2011 |
€5.585m (Grant In Aid) |
€103,000 |
Nil |
|
2012 |
€5.585m (Grant In Aid) |
€103,000 |
Nil |
The Civil Defence Act 2002 provides that the Board shall consist of at least eight but not more than fourteen members who shall be appointed by the Minister for Defence. Legislation is currently being drafted to dissolve the Civil Defence Board and transfer the functions of the Board back into the Department of Defence. The transfer of the functions of the Civil Defence Board back into the Department of Defence is expected to realise savings in running costs of approximately €60,000 per annum. I appointed the current Board as an interim measure from 2011. In this context, none of the positions were advertised.
Membership of the interim Board appointed from 2011 is set out in the following table:
|
Name |
Nominating Bodies |
|
Civil Defence Board Chairperson |
|
|
Mr. Brian SpainDirector, Department of Defence |
Nominated by Minister for Defence |
|
Civil Defence Board Members |
|
|
Mr. Cathal DuffyPrincipal Officer, Department of Defence |
Nominated by the Minister for Defence |
|
Ms. Clare TiernanPrincipal Officer, Department of Defence |
Nominated by the Minister for Defence |
|
Mr. Robert MooneyPrincipal Officer, Department of Defence |
Nominated by the Minister for Defence |
|
Mr. Bill SmithDirector General, Civil Defence Board |
Appointed as Director General, Civil Defence Board |
|
Mr. Ned GleesonCounty Manager, Limerick City Council |
Nominated by City & County Managers Association |
|
Mr. Keith LeonardAssistant Fire Advisor |
Nominated by the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government |
|
Dr. Barbara Rafferty |
Nominated by Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland |
|
Ms. Becci Cantrell |
Nominated by the Environmental Protection Agency |
|
Ms. Veronica FordeAssistant Civil Defence Officer |
Nominated by the Civil Defence Officers Association |
|
Lt. Col. Tony KellySSO, Defence Forces |
Nominated by the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces |
|
Chief Superintendent Orla Mc PartlinAn Garda Síochána |
Nominated by the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána |
|
Mr. Fergal Conroy |
Elected volunteer member of Civil Defence |
|
Ms. Eileen Joyce |
Elected staff member of the Civil Defence Board |
There is no remuneration attached to membership of the Civil Defence Board.
The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act, 1927. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners of whom one must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The chairman and the non-military ordinary member are appointed by the Minister for Defence with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Army Medical Corps ordinary member is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.
The position of Army Medical Corps ordinary member became vacant due to retirement in 2011, and I have since appointed Commandant Adam Lagun to the Board on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff. As the Army Pensions Act 1927 specifies that one of the ordinary members must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps, this position could not be advertised on the Department’s website. Details of Commandant Lagun’s appointment to the Army Pensions Board were published in the Iris Oifigiúil.
The chairperson and the civilian doctor are entitled to annual fees of €7,618 and €5,079 respectively.
Coiste an Asgard was the company set up to manage the National Sail Training Scheme. In September 2008, the company’s sail training vessel ‘Asgard II’ sank in the Bay of Biscay. In December 2009, the previous Government announced that the National Sail Training Scheme was to be discontinued and the funding for 2010 was cancelled. Up to and including 2009, the company had been receiving funding from the National Lottery of approximately €800,000 per annum.
The Company has been inactive since and there are no crew or staff left on the payroll. The winding-up process is well advanced and it is anticipated that the company will be in a position to close by the end of this year, following a final audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. There is no remuneration attached to membership of the Board of Coiste an Asgard.
No new agencies, authorities, committees, working groups, tribunals, council services, task forces, or quangos have been established since February 2011.
