James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 208: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of members on the board of the Health Service Executive; the attendance rate of each board member at meetings of the HSE; the fees paid to each board member; the expenses that have been paid to each board member; the amount of times the board of the HSE meets; the persons who have retired from the board and the persons who have replaced them; the criteria used to determine who retired and any other relevant information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28723/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Board of the Health Service Executive is made up of eleven members comprising a Chair and ten ordinary members. Issues relating to the terms of office of members of the Board are detailed in schedule 2 of the Health Act 2004 while Section 14 of the Act deals with the removal of members from office. To date, nobody has either retired, or been removed, from the Board of the Executive.

Fees paid to members of the Board of the Executive are determined in accordance with Department of Finance guidelines which link such payments to the remuneration package of the Chief Executive Officer of the organisation. In the case of the Health Service Executive, this places the Board in category 1 for such purposes. The rates payable to board members of category 1 agencies are €35,000 per annum for Chairs and €17,500 per annum in respect of ordinary board members.

My Department does not routinely collect information relating to the meeting attendance rates of Board members, expenses paid to Board members or the frequency of Board meetings and has, therefore, requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have these matters examined and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.