Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 61: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has met the board and senior management of all 37 agencies under the aegis of his Department; the outcome of such meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46632/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Since my appointment as Minister for Transport, my practice has been to keep open lines of communication with the agencies operating under the aegis of my Department, primarily by maintaining regular and appropriate levels of contact with the chairpersons of the boards of the agencies, or their equivalents in the case of certain regulatory bodies. Communication takes place in several ways including by telephone and by way of both formal and informal meetings and encounters. Occasionally I meet the full board of an agency in a structured setting. I have also on occasion met senior management as required from time to time to address matters of particular pertinence for a given agency.

These discussions, encounters and occasional formal meetings have addressed, inter alia, issues such as review of overall strategies, business plans, financial outlook, performance by agencies, safety, reform and modernisation of the various sectors, structures or possible rationalisation, updates on investment programmes or on specific projects, or proposals for legislative change.

Clearly, my engagement with the agencies focuses mainly on issues of strategic note but I am aware that my discussions are complemented by talks which take place on an ongoing basis between my officials and the management of the agencies operating under the aegis of the Department.

While this form of engagement and oversight has worked well in the past, I recognise that there is always scope for improvement. For this reason, earlier in 2008 the Department carried out a comprehensive review of its corporate governance relationship with the State agencies. As a result of this review, I wrote to the chairpersons of the State agencies under my remit last month announcing the introduction of a new approach to corporate governance. This initiative is aimed at: providing a clearer mandate to each of our State agencies and enhancing the Department's monitoring of their performance; ensuring continuing compliance by agencies with the code of practice for the governance of State bodies; and ensuring that more regular and structured engagement takes place at ministerial and senior management level with all agencies, as a means of reviewing performance and ensuring that the Department's objectives are being met.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

Specifically, I have proposed to each agency the particular schedule of regular structured meetings, which should become the norm for that agency from now on, as meetings with me or alternatively with senior officials in the Department may be more appropriate in different cases. I propose to meet the boards of the larger agencies. The agenda at such meetings will cover my mandate and expectations, as well as the agency's performance and will address any other pertinent corporate governance issue arising in the context of the particular agency.

The responses I have received to date from the State agencies have been very positive and I am confident that this new approach will significantly improve the oversight of the agencies under my remit and ensure that the performance dialogue will become more structured, focused and productive with all the agencies concerned from now on.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The Minister has some 37 agencies under his remit. How many has he met? As he knows there was a review of his Department by the Department of the Taoiseach. Transport is a very critical Department, where €1.27 billion of taxpayers' money is being spent on public transport, €2.1 million on national, regional and local roads, €40 million on road safety, €48 million on coastguard activity and so on. It is a very important Department. He mentioned the word, "governance". The governance of his Department is inadequate. There is little consensus within the Department as to whether users of the services of these agencies are customers of the Department and what its oversight role is.

The criticism is that the Minister is not doing his job, that he is sitting back and not meeting these agencies. They are spending billions of taxpayers' money and the Department does not know whether it has oversight. Those semi-State bodies do not know whether they are overseen by the Minister, either. In fact, they complain of the lack of direction and leadership from the Minister.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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If the Deputy spoke to some of those people, they would probably say I take too great an interest in their activities — to ensure I know what is happening. That has always been my style. It was for that reason we initiated the review of the relationship between the State bodies and the Department earlier this year. I did the same in the last Department I was in, the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The Deputy is talking about an internal organisational review report of the Department, but the criticisms levelled in it are not levelled at the Minister, as he will see if he cares to read the report carefully.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The Minister is accountable in the Department.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I am accountable for what I do in this regard and for ensuring my Department keeps in close contact with the various agencies.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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How many has the Minister met?

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I have met with all of the major agencies of the Department, at CEO, chairman or board level, since I became Minister.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The Minister has not answered the question I asked him. How many of the 37 has he met? The criticism I made is of the Department and the Minister is the leader of the Department in terms of policy. The report clearly states the Department needs to take a more proactive leadership role in setting and clarifying strategies. The issue is that taxpayers' money is being wasted in some of these bodies, but the Minister has no oversight of them.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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If I was in here in other circumstances and interfering in the day-to-day operation of the companies in question, the Deputy would make another complaint. He asked about the various bodies I had met. I have met with all the major ones since joining the Department. I met with Aer Lingus, Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann, the Cork Airport Authority, CIE, the Commission for Aviation Regulation, the Commission for Taxi Regulation, the Dublin Airport Authority, the Drogheda Port Company, the Dublin Transportation Office, Dublin Port Company, Galway Harbour Company, Iarnród Éireann, the Irish Aviation Authority, the National Roads Authority, the Port of Cork Company, the Railway Safety Commission, the Road Safety Authority, the Railway Procurement Agency, representatives of the three airports and the Shannon Foynes Port Company, and the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern, has responsibility for the ports.