Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 184: To ask the Taoiseach the statutory bodies for which he has responsibility; and the date of establishment of each of these statutory bodies. [3096/08]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 185: To ask the Taoiseach the annual operating cost for each of the past five years of each statutory body for which he has responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3111/08]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 and 185 together.

The statutory bodies for which I have had responsibility over the past five years are:

The Commission of Investigation (Dublin and Monaghan Bombings 1974);

The Law Reform Commission (1975);

The National Economic and Social Development Office (2007);

The National Statistics Board (1994); and

The Moriarty Tribunal (1997).

The Commission of Investigation (Dublin and Monaghan Bombings 1974) was established in May 2005 to examine specific matters relating to the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings of 1974, including aspects of the Garda investigation and missing documentation. The Commission completed its work and presented its Final Report to me in March 2007. Expenditure was as follows:

The Law Reform Commission was established on 20 October, 1975.

The operating costs (through a Vote in the Office of the Attorney General) over the past five years were:

The National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), The National Economic and Social Council (NESC), The National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) and The National Centre for Partnership and Performance (NCPP) became Statutory Bodies on 1 January, 2007, under the NESDO Act, 2006, and the Order signed by me setting 1 January, 2007, as Establishment Date for the purposes of the Act. They were non statutory bodies until the establishment date. Therefore, the figures refer to the NESDO since 1 January, 2007 when it became a Statutory Body. The pay figures do not include accruals for pensions.

The National Statistics Board (NSB) was established on a statutory basis in November 1994. The costs incurred by the NSB mainly relate to the payment of stipend fees. The costs can vary significantly in years where membership of the Board has lapsed before a new Board has been appointed.

The Tribunal to Inquire into Payments to Politicians (Haughey and Lowry), also known as the Moriarty Tribunal, was established by the Houses of the Oireachtas in September 1997 and is expected to publish its final report shortly. The relevant costs are:

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 186: To ask the Taoiseach the number of task forces currently operating in his Department; the membership and terms of reference; the name of each one; the estimate cost of the taskforce; if he will report on the progress being made by the task force; if they have made any recommendations to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3169/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 187: To ask the Taoiseach the taskforces established under the auspices of his Department in the past five years; the recommendations made by each taskforce; the progress being made in implementing these recommendations; if specific recommendations have been rejected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3184/08]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 188: To ask the Taoiseach the taskforces established under the auspices of his Department in the past five years; the cost of these taskforces in terms of administrative support, expenses, research and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3199/08]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 to 188, inclusive, together.Taskforce on Active Citizenship:The Taskforce on Active Citizenship was established in April 2006 and completed its work in March 2007 following a phase of public consultations on the extent to which citizens engage in the issues that affect them and their communities. This Government has committed, in principle, to implementing the recommendations contained in the Report of the Taskforce which are intended to promote a continued sense of community and greater civic participation by our citizens in every aspect of our national life and culture.

The recommendations focused on five key themes which reflect what emerged in the course of the national and regional consultations. These are:

(i) Participation in the Democratic Process;

(ii) The Public Service and Citizens;

(iii) Community Engagement and Promoting a Sense of Community;

(iv) Education for Citizenship; and

(v) Ethnic and Cultural Diversity and the Challenge of Engaging Newcomers.

The key recommendations include:

Participation in the Democratic Process:

Establishment of the independent Electoral Commission – to encourage everyone who is eligible to register and vote through organisation of voting, for example, the timing of voting, postal voting etc. Provision of appropriate publicity campaigns and explanatory material on registering to vote and the voting process itself.

The Taskforce has emphasised that the Commission's role should focus on promoting participation in elections and voter education.The Public Service and Citizens:

The ethos of the public service, based on the respect for the citizen, needs to be reinforced and strengthened and continue to be a core objective of public service reforms. This should include a renewed emphasis on effective consultation with associated training for public servants. This recommendation will build on current public service modernisation initiatives such as Quality Customer Service and the Guidelines on Consultation for Public Service Organisations. Introduction of a programme in the Public Service to promote community engagement and participation:

The programme could be run on the basis of recognising some time off for volunteering effort as was done by many employers for the Special Olympics. It could also include treating verifiable areas of community activity and volunteering as relevant items for inclusion and recognition in job applications and evaluation of performance.

Such an initiative could also extend through to retirement through pre-retirement courses offered in the public service.

The group insurance scheme open to members of Local Community and Voluntary Fora should be promoted widely amongst relevant organisations and groups. Insurance was one of the recurring barriers to Active Citizenship cited at the public consultation meetings. This scheme has assisted with insurance issues for community and voluntary groups in securing considerably cheaper premiums.

An initiative to help community and voluntary groups meet compliance costs (i) when providing programme funding and (ii) ensuring that compliance costs are proportionate and that administrative burdens on community and voluntary organisations are streamlined and standardised across the public service to the greatest extent possible.

Funding schemes be strengthened to support capacity development amongst community and voluntary organisations particularly in the area of training at both national and local level.

Community Engagement and Promoting a Sense of Community:

Introduction of a National Active Citizenship theme culminating in a National Active Citizenship Week – to stimulate local Active Citizenship activities and events, for example, 'get to know your neighbour'. The themes will be selected to promote localcommunity involvement and would draw on existing community resources and initiatives. This initiative would culminate in an Active Citizenship Week and would be a focal point for local community engagement.

Introduction of National Presidential Citizen Awards — this award system would be introduced to recognise outstandingcontributions made by individuals to Irish society. They would be given to a limited number of people selected through an independent process based on nominations from members of the public. Presentation of the awards could tie in with the National

Active Citizen Week.

Development of a certificate/award which would be earned through completing at least three months volunteering or community involvement activity – this award would be earned by completing at least three months of voluntary activity either in Ireland or overseas. This could be done either during further education or in the early stages of working life.

Local Authorities should prioritise the provision of community and recreational facilities as part of Development Plans and subsequent planning decisions. An audit of the implementation of this approach should be undertaken by the Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government.

An audit should be undertaken by end 2008 by the Local Authorities through the County/City Development Boards of existing community facilities to identify (i) gaps in the provision of facilities and (ii) opportunities for improved use/sharing of existing facilities.

Better use be made of schools at evening and weekend time to act as community hubs. As a first step, a pilot project should be undertaken in a number of post primary schools in partnership with the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund.

Education for Citizenship:

Expansion of education for citizenship in the school system and in the youth and adult education sectors through (i) ensuring that every transition year student has the opportunity to take part in an active learning community-based project (ii) strengthen the status and role of the Civic, Social and Political Education programme in the junior cycle and introduce a citizenship programme as an exam subject at senior cycle and (iii) include workshops on Active Citizenship/Voter Education as a constituent element in Adult/Community Education Programmes.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) should lead an initiative to promote, support and link together citizenship initiatives across the Higher Education sector.

Ethnic and Cultural Diversity and the Challenge of Engaging Newcomers:

All forms of community and voluntary organisations should be encouraged to undertake proactive initiatives to reach out and engage with newcomers to Irish society.

Introduction of a formal Citizenship Ceremony and Development of material and short education courses on Irish Citizenship — formal ceremony be introduced to mark entry to Irish citizenship and allow new citizens to publicly demonstrate their commitment to Ireland. Information and short education courses should be developed on Irish citizenship to include Irish history, democratic institutions, culture, language etc.

Local Civic Participation:

the County/City Community and Voluntary Fora in each Local Authority be strengthened and renewed with additional support as required; in particular, they should be organised on the basis of local electoral areas (where this is not already the case) and these local area fora should be renamed the Civic Fora.

public agencies at local level should be required to consult the Civic Fora in relation to the development and implementation of their policies at local level.

all Local Authority Area Committees should, in line with guidelines issued by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, include representatives of the Civic Fora for the purpose of community development and also contributing to the work of the County/City Development Board. The Taskforce recommends that this requirement to engage with the Fora should be expanded to further issues.

As well as enhancing the Community and Voluntary Fora, there are also a range of community councils, residents' associations and similar local participative structures operating locally. The Taskforce recommended that:

Local Authorities be requested to provide recognition to these structures under the Local Government Act, 2001;

where there are identifiable gaps in local community structures, Local Authorities should support the establishment of local civic participation structures and, where appropriate, include seed funding;

challenge funding should be made available through County/City Development Boards to match locally raised funding for suitable projects; and

Local Authorities should experiment with other forms and modes of local democracy which facilitate community engagement.

The Taskforce also recommended the establishment of a National Observatory to act as a focal point for research and analysis on civic engagement in Ireland. This is intended to facilitate better monitoring of progress and trends, which will in turn allow policies to be developed and refined.

The cost to the Exchequer of the work undertaken by the Taskforce on Active Citizenship in 2006 was €275,000 and in 2007 was €108,000. This expenditure was met under Subhead S of my Department's Vote and is broken down as follows:

The cost of support staff pay was met from the Administrative Budget of the Taoiseach's Department Vote (A1). The total pay related expenditure in 2006 was €124,000 and in 2007 was €49,000.

Primary responsibility for follow up to the report of the Taskforce rests with the Departments whose areas of responsibility are relevant. In addition, as recommended by the Taskforce, an Active Citizenship Office has been established under the aegis of my Department, with a secretariat comprising staff assigned from the Department. The Office is currently developing an implementation plan in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including Heads of Government Departments who have examined the implications of the task force's recommendations and identified how their existing strategies and programmes take account of the Taskforce recommendations. The implementation plan will also take account of related commitments in the Government's Agreed Programme for Government.

In addition, the work of the Active Citizenship Office will be to develop further initiatives to bring a European and North/South context to its work. There will also be a requirement to generate as much public support as possible from individuals, community groups and the corporate sector to provide maximum opportunity for all sectors of society to become involved in the important issue of active citizenship.

Task Force on Customer Service:

The Task Force on Customer Service was set up following a Government Decision of 25 July, 2007. The Government, "agreed to establish a Task Force on Customer Service to deepen Quality Customer Service and to advance relevant commitments in the Programme for Government, including those in the Health, Justice and Local Government sectors and to report back on progress through the Implementation Group of Secretaries General". The Task Force is not intended as a replacement for any existing groups or network but rather as a new initiative to coordinate activities and make recommendations for action to improve the customer experience across Public Service organisations.

The Task Force is chaired by Mr. Seán Aylward, Secretary General at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Membership of the Task Force comprises representatives from all Government Departments, key Government Offices and the Health, Justice and Local Government sectors. A full list of members can be seen in the table.

To date, the Task Force has met on 4 occasions — 5 September, 2007, 25 October, 2007, 4 December, 2007 and 15 January, 2008. Their next meeting is scheduled for 12 March, 2008.

The terms of reference for the Task Force are:

1:to consider and make recommendations for the implementation of the commitments to customer service set out in the 2007 Programme for Government, particularly in relation to customer charters and service levels;

2:to consider and make recommendations on deepening and widening Quality Customer Service including the extension of the QCS principles and approaches in a consistent manner across the wider Public Service (particularly in the Health, Justice and Local Government sectors); and

3:to report to the Implementation Group of Secretaries General on progress made and recommendations for further initiatives. The Task Force will submit 2 interim reports, in January and September 2008, and a final report in January 2009.

The First Interim Report has been drafted and will be finalised and submitted to the Implementation Group shortly.

The costs to date of the Taskforce amount to €3,462.78. The estimated cost for 2008 will be €10,000. The secretariat to the Task Force is supplied by the Public Service Modernisation Division of the Department of the Taoiseach. This work dovetails with the overall duties of the staff involved.