Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department has a management advisory committee or an equivalent management committee; if it meets regularly; and if so, the frequency of same; if he and the Ministers of State attached to his 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 he will make a statement on the matter. [32982/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has a Management Advisory Committee (MAC), comprising the Secretary General of the Department and the Heads of all Divisions in the Department. The MAC meets regularly, approximately once a month. To date, this year, there have been eight MAC meetings, and further meetings are planned before the end of the year.

I attend a number of the MAC meetings, together with the two Ministers of State attached to my Department, Mr. Dick Roche T.D. and Mr. Micheál Kitt T.D. My Special Advisor and my Press Advisor would normally attend MAC meetings that I am attending. Normally, minutes are circulated after each meeting of the Management Advisory Committee. The content of those minutes varies considerably, depending on the issues discussed. The meetings which I and my Ministerial colleagues have with the Management Advisory Committee offer a valuable opportunity to discuss the various strategic issues facing the Department, with a particular focus on ensuring timely delivery on the commitments made in the Programme for Government. These meetings are, of course, in addition to the ongoing contacts which I and my Ministerial colleagues have with Departmental officials, including members of the MAC, on various policy issues.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 136: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he convenes specific policy meetings with officials in his 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 he will make a statement on the matter. [32996/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I convene specific policy meetings on a regular basis with officials of my Department. Their frequency and content varies having regard to the challenges and priorities that arise at a given time.

The main difference between these meetings and the meetings of the Management Advisory Committee (MAC) which I attend are that the former are usually one subject agendas, dealing, for example with the Irish Aid programme or Northern Ireland, whereas the latter generally take a broader view of the work of the Department.