Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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7. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the role envisaged for the Public Service Chief Information Officer Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24659/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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My Department established the Public Service Chief Information Officer Council in November 2011. The council is a representative forum for senior managers with responsibility for information and communications technology, ICT, and-or e-government from across the civil and public services. It provides expert input to decisions and actions to improve the impact of ICT and e-government on public service delivery. My Department, in collaboration with the council, has published e-government and cloud computing strategies to support the public service reform plan.

The council has met on seven occasions to date. Agendas, minutes and other relevant documentation are published on its website, ciocouncil.gov.ie. The council is chaired by my Department. The Government recently appointed Mr. Bill McCluggage as Government chief information officer and he will assume the chair when he takes up his appointment in June.

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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It was the appointment of Mr. Bill McCluggage that caught my eye some time ago. When one thinks about a chief information office, one might well assume it would in some way be connected with Government information services. What linkage is there between these two organisations? The Minister has talked about cloud computing, social media and so on. Surely they should all be integrated instead of having information technology communications in one corner and the old-fashioned communications methods being routed through Government information services. Is the Minister at liberty to outline the terms and conditions of Mr. McCluggage's appointment, including pay rates?

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I do not have the terms and conditions of the appointment to hand, but I will have no difficulty in conveying them to the Deputy. Like most of the appointments I have made in my Department, including a new head of procurement and a new director of reform, he has been appointed on a five year contract with fixed wages. That is a good way to do it and the people I have appointed under these terms have been of extraordinary quality. Mr. McCluggage, likewise, is coming with a great pedigree, having been chief information officer in Northern Ireland before moving to the British Cabinet Office to assume the same role. I will send the Deputy a note on the structure of the council and how it operates.