Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 236: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will present in tabular form the progress at the end of 2007 in respect of units or agencies under his Department which are due to decentralise showing in respect of each the number of posts to be decentralised, the number who have moved to the new location, the number who have been assigned to the decentralised post but have not moved, the number of staff who have been assigned who are new recruits and the number who have opted to stay in Dublin who have been assigned to other posts within Dublin. [5301/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is required to relocate a minimum of 250 posts to Carlow under the Government's Decentralisation Programme and this is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2009. In order to accommodate staff who wished to move earlier than the projected building completion date of late 2009, officials of my Department, in consultation with the Department of Finance and the OPW, as well as decentralising staff and Business Units, opened an advance office in Carlow on July 30th 2007. The number of posts in this decentralised advance office at the end of 2007 was 97.

The number of posts in Business Units decentralising to Carlow is 288. At the end of 2007 my Department had 22 staff in non-decentralising units due to decentralise in the substantive move scheduled for 2009, with a further 38 Carlow-bound applicants yet to be assigned from other Departments, as well as the 97 officers already decentralised to Carlow and the officers in decentralising units in the table. The specific information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table.

Agency Decentralisation

Under the Government Decentralisation Programme, announced in December 2003, six of the Agencies under the aegis of my Department are due to decentralise or have already been decentralised. The following is the position on progress at the end of 2007:

Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA)

In the case of IAASA, a decision was made prior to its establishment that it would be located in Naas, Co Kildare. Having been established in December, 2005 it moved to new offices at Naas, in January 2006. All IAASA staff have been based in its offices in Naas since its establishment. IAASA has an authorised staffing level of 15, 9 of whom are in situ. An open recruitment campaign is currently under way to fill a number of the Authority's professional staff vacancies. Any member of the public (including civil/public servants wishing to relocate), with the required qualifications, may apply for these posts.

National Consumer Agency (NCA)

The National Consumer Agency (NCA) was formally established on 1st May 2007 and inherited the functions of the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs (ODCA). The Agency will have a headquarters in Cork City. The Department of Finance has granted sanction for an overall complement of 80 members of staff. It is expected that there will be a high percentage of staff turnover as many of the existing staff, who formerly worked in ODCA and are on secondment from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, return to the Department. Decentralisation plans will be progressed in the coming months with a view to the Agency relocating to Cork in the course of 2009.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 237: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the date of establishment of FÁS International Consulting Limited; if this company is still in existence; the purpose and role of this company; the number of members of the board of this company; the number of whom are appointed by himself; the person by whom the remaining board members are appointed; the level of equity held by the Department within this company; the level of financing provided by the Government to this company for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5330/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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FÁS International Consulting Limited (FICL) was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of FÁS in 1988 in accordance with the provisions of the Labour Services Act. Its purpose was to promote and carry out training and consultancy work in human resource development and related areas for the overseas market. The Articles of Association were registered on 22 September 1988. No equity was held by the Department. Following an in-depth review of its own operations in 2001, FÁS put in place a new strategy in 2002.

A detailed review of the operation of FICL was also undertaken. Arising from this, it was agreed to close the FICL operation. Accordingly, FICL ceased operating in 2003 and the assets and liabilities were transferred to FÁS. Under the Memorandum and Articles of the Company, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment appointed all of the members of the Board of Directors, following consultation with the Chairman of FÁS. Contracts and assignments by the company were primarily funded by the European Union and no funding was voted by the Oireachtas for the Company.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 238: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the date of establishment of Irish National Accreditation Board; the purpose and role of this board; the number of members of the board; the number of whom are appointed by himself; the person by whom the remaining board members are appointed; the amount of funding provided by the Government to this board for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5331/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) was established in 1985 to accredit calibration and testing laboratories. INAB was subsequently established as a Committee of Forfás under Section 10 of the Industrial Development act, 1993 as amended by Section 46 of the Industrial Development (Enterprise Ireland) Act. 1998. The Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) is the sole national body with responsibility for accreditation in accordance with the relevant International Organisation for Standardisation ISO 17000 series of standards and guides and the harmonised EN 45000 series of European standards. INAB provides accreditation of laboratories, certification and inspection bodies, attestors and attestation bodies and is the statutory body responsible for GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) and EMAS (European Eco-Management and Audit Schemes).

The Board is comprised of not more than 12 members (unpaid) representative of State, industry and sectoral activities for which accreditation is provided. As a Committee of Forfás, established under the relevant legislation, all appointments to the Board of the INAB are made by the Forfás Board. Direct costs in relation to staff salaries, travel expenses and specialist services for INAB activities are set out hereunder together with details of income received in respect of accreditation services, which are charged at commercial rates. INAB operates as a department within Forfás and as such indirect costs relating to accommodation and support services are met from within Forfas resources and it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of same.

The single European Market is of fundamental importance to Ireland, as more than 65% of our total exports are sold to Europe. The INAB is part of the European network of accreditation bodies and plays a pivotal role in guaranteeing the access of Irish products and services to the EU market. This co-operation with other accreditation bodies in Europe and globally through Multilateral Agreements (MLAs) means that Irish organisations' certificates are recognised both nationally and internationally, providing both the organisations and their customers with confidence in the product or service being offered. Ensuring that accredited certificates and test results produced here are acceptable throughout the European Economic Area, eliminates the need for multiple assessments when goods cross frontiers; giving Irish industry the best competitive advantage possible, in what is an ever-expanding and aggressive marketplace.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 239: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the date of establishment of Nítrigin Éireann Teoranta; if this company is still in existence; the purpose and role of this company; the number of members of the board of this company; the number of whom are appointed by himself; the person by whom the remaining board members are appointed; the level of equity held by his Department within this company; the level of finance provided by the Government to this company for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5332/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Nítrigin Éireann Teoranta (NET) was established in 1961 to manufacture nitrogenous fertiliser. Since 1987 on the formation of Irish Fertilizer Industries Limited (IFI), a joint venture with ICI, NET acted as a holding company. More recently NET's primary role since the liquidation of IFI in 2002 had been to monitor the progress of that liquidation in the context of NET's claims on the liquidation. Following the pay out of the last substantial dividend to unsecured creditors during 2007 by the liquidator of IFI, it became clear that there would be no funds remaining in the liquidation to meet any liabilities to NET. NET and ICI had previously agreed that any liabilities to them should be subordinated in favour of other unsecured creditors. As overall unsecured creditors of IFI received 47.5% of their claims, there was no longer any meaningful role for NET. As a consequence of this, measures were taken on 20 December 2007 to wind up NET as a members voluntary liquidation i.e. a solvent liquidation. The liquidator is currently carrying out the liquidation process.

At the time of liquidation, there were three Board Members. In accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company, these had been appointed by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment after consultation with the Minister for Finance. All three were current or former civil service staff who received no remuneration for their role. There was no equity value in NET at the time of liquidation. Allocations paid to NET from my Department's Vote over the last five years were as follows:

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 240: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the date of establishment of Skillsnet Limited; the purpose and role of this company; the number of members of the board of this company; the number of whom are appointed by himself; the person by whom the remaining board members are appointed; the level of equity held by his Department within this company; the level of finance provided by the Government to this company for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5333/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Skillnets Limited was established in 1999 to encourage and support enterprise-led training, to enhance the capacity and employability of workers, to contribute to increased productivity and profitability and to assist in developing a more competitive business environment. Under a Mandate and Funding Agreement agreed with my Department, Skillnets Limited operates the Training Networks Program. It supports enterprises with common training and development objectives to achieve them by committing to dedicated networks that facilitate knowledge acquisition and allow for economies of scale to be realized.

The Board of Skillnets Limited is comprised of 13 members nominated as follows:

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment 3

IBEC 4 (including the Chairperson)

ICTU 3

CIF 1

SFA 1

Chambers Ireland 1

The company at an Annual General Meeting makes appointments to the Board by reference to the memorandum and articles of association of Skillnets Limited. Skillnets Limited is exclusively funded from the National Training Fund and, given its mandate and mission, equity holdings do not arise either on the part of my Department or on the part of any other entity. The following are the levels of funding provide through my Department and from the National Training Fund in the period in question:

Separately, Skillnets Services Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skillnets Limited. It too has been resourced from the National Training Fund to administer the ACCEL Program on behalf of my Department. ACCEL also facilitates training for those in employment. The contract for its delivery was awarded to Skillnets Services Limited following a public call for tenders. That was necessary, as the European Social Fund will substantially co-finance the ACCEL budget. Through my Department €6.30 million and €10.30 million have respectively been advanced in 2006 and 2007 from the National Training Fund (NTF) to Skillnets Services Limited to support approved ACCEL training projects. In addition, Skillnets Services Limited has to date been paid a total of €1.70 million in professional fees for the management of ACCEL. This funding is also sourced from the NTF. The ACCEL program will end this year as planned from the outset.

The Training Networks Program had progressively been refined and expanded since its inception. Focus now is on providing quality training in SMEs that is identified and needed by participating companies. Increasingly, training delivered is being certified to standards defined in the National Framework of qualifications. In addition, and in line with the focus of the National Skills Strategy and Towards 2016, particular attention is being given to, and enhanced incentives are available for, the training and development of lower skilled workers.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 241: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the date of establishment of the expert group on future skills needs; if this group is still in existence; the purpose and role of this group; the number of members of the board of this group; the number of whom are appointed by himself; the person by whom the remaining board members are appointed; the expenditure of this group for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5334/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government established the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) in 1997 to provide advice on Ireland's future skills requirements and make recommendations as to how those needs could be met. The mandate of the EGFSN was formalised in 2001. The EGFSN is an independent advisory body appointed by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in consultation with the Minister for Education and Science and reports jointly to both Ministers. The group is broadly representative of social partnership, with members from enterprise, academia, Government Departments, employer and employee groupings. The EGFSN operates under the auspices of Forfás which provide research and secretariat support to it. The current mandate of the Group runs from 2007 to 2009.

The work of the EGFSN is undertaken at two levels: economy wide and sector specific. The early work of the Group focused on sector level skills forecasting. Sectors examined to date include ICT, Biotechnology, Food Processing, and Engineering; more recently, the work of the Group broadened to look at horizontal skills issues facing enterprise across all sectors including: management development; the need for researchers; in-company training; and careers and labour market information and dissemination. The mandate of the National Training Advisory Committee (NTAC) was merged with that of the EGFSN in 2004, so that the EGFSN, as well as forecasting skills needs also has responsibility for advising on the wider enterprise training strategy.

The work of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs has been central to forecasting Ireland's future skills requirements and identifying the appropriate strategies to meet them. In particular, the Expert Group published the National Skills Strategy last year, which outlined strategic objectives for Ireland from a skills perspective for the period to 2020. There are currently twenty-one members of the Expert Group, which I appointed. My colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, nominated five of these members. Over the last five years the expenditure of the Expert Group has been as follows:

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 242: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the date of establishment of the national framework committee for work/life balance; if this committee is still in existence; the purpose and role of this committee; the number of members of the board of this committee; the number of whom are appointed by himself; the person by whom the remaining board members are appointed; the expenditure of this committee for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5335/08]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The National Framework Committee for Family Friendly Policies was established by the Social Partners in 2000 under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. The Committee was continued and renamed in 2003 as the National Framework Committee for Work Life Balance Policies under Sustaining Progress. The remit of the Framework Committee has been continued under the current national partnership agreement, Towards 2016. The Committee is charged with supporting and facilitating the development of family friendly policies at the level of the enterprise through the development of a package of practical measures that can be applied. Examples of such policies that may be found at enterprise level include, flexi-time, part-time working, annualised hours, teleworking, term time, work sharing, job sharing and other various additional leave options either paid or unpaid.

There are eight organisations represented on the Committee. These are: IBEC, ICTU, the Equality Authority, the Departments Social and Family Affairs, an Taoiseach, Finance, Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Enterprise, Trade and Employment. My Department provides the chairperson and the secretariat for the Committee. None of the Committee members is personally appointed by me. It is a matter for each of the bodies participating on the Committee as to who should represent them and, in practice different people may attend from time to time depending on the issues being discussed. The Committee has undertaken the following expenditure in the past five years, all of which has been in respect of funding activities supported by the Committee: