Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the reason his Department requested a series of pay increases for the chairmen of RTE and a number of other State bodies; the further reason the Department of Finance rejected his Department's request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19931/05]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The traditional model of attendance by the chairpersons of commercial State-sponsored bodies was one or two days per month. With the changing market environment in which these bodies now operate and the consequent competitive, regulatory and governance demands, chairpersons have found their roles to be increasingly challenging and time-consuming. It is also the case that attracting suitably talented individuals with wide experience in the private sector could become difficult if competitive remuneration were not put in place.

In these circumstances my Department made a case to the Department of Finance that the chairpersons of a number of the commercial State-sponsored bodies under the aegis of my Department should be compensated for extra attendances. The Department of Finance was not prepared to agree to this request in all cases except one on the basis that it was not accepted that circumstances had changed since the standard fees were last increased in 2001 such as to justify an increase.