Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 185: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if her Department has a management advisory committee or an equivalent management committee; if it meets regularly; and if so, the frequency of same; if she and the Ministers of State attached to her Department attend the meetings; if a special advisor or advisors attached to the Ministerial Office or offices attend such meetings; if the minutes are circulated subsequent to each meeting with an indication as to the action to be taken by whom and when; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32973/07]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 186: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she convenes specific policy meetings with officials in her Department; the way a policy meeting with officials is different to that of a management meeting, such as a management advisory committee meeting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32987/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 185 and 186 together.

My Department has a Management Advisory Committee (MAC) chaired by the Secretary General which meets fortnightly. My Special Advisor is a member of the Committee. Periodically, a meeting of the MAC is held at Ministerial level which involves the MAC and myself and the Ministers of State. I chair those meetings. Reports are prepared of all MAC meetings and are subsequently circulated.

Apart from the regular MAC meetings, there are a number of formats for meetings which I hold with senior officials of my Department. Some of these meetings are convened to discuss specific policy issues and others cover a range of topics. The attendance would normally depend on the topic or topics but would normally involve Secretary General or Assistant Secretaries as well as those officers working on the particular area being discussed.