Alan Kelly
Ceist:177. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Finance if his Department and all the agencies that report to his Department fully respect a judgment (details supplied) that was ruled on in March 2020. [45957/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 19 October 2023
Ceisteanna (177)
Freagraí scríofa
The matters that the Deputy is referring to are appropriate to my colleague Mr. Stephen Donnelly TD Minister for Health.
As regards the role of the State Claims Agency (SCA) I should say that across all the Departments and the many related bodies and agencies that the SCA is delegated to handle cases for, the relevant Minister with the policy responsibility for the area in which cases arises answers to the Oireachtas on them and not I as Minister for Finance.
Section 9., (3), (f) of the NTMA (Amendment) Act 2000 which established the SCA provides:
“(f) the delegation or declaration shall not remove or derogate from the responsibility of any Minister of the Government to Dáil Éireann or as a member of the Government for the performance of functions of that Minister of the Government thereby delegated or to which the declaration relates.”
Prior to the establishment of the SCA each Department managed their own claims and accounted for them to the Dáil themselves. The motive behind the establishment of the SCA was to centralise the management of claims against the State. Each entity delegated to the SCA continues to deal with the SCA bilaterally on the cases concerned.