John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 157: To ask the Taoiseach the role and responsibilities of each of his Ministers of State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38293/08]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Government appointed Deputy Pat Carey as Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at my Department and at the Department of Defence. Deputy Dick Roche was appointed Minister of State at my Department and at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for European Affairs.

As Chief Whip, Minister of State Carey's primary responsibility is for the organisation of Government business in the Dáil and for the Government's programme for Dáil reform. He also oversees preparation of the Government's legislative programme. In addition, my statutory functions in relation to the Central Statistics Office have been delegated to him.

I have also assigned responsibility for the Active Citizenship initiative in my Department to Minister of State Carey. His role is to drive the initiative forward, to oversee the implementation of the recommendations of the Taskforce on Active Citizenship and, critically, to promote the concept of active citizenship in all spheres of Irish life. He is also responsible for monitoring and identifying additional measures which would strengthen our social interaction and broaden the manner in which we view our responsibilities as citizens in the modern Ireland. Minister of State Carey is supported in this work by a Steering Group chaired by Ms. Mary Davis, and by the Active Citizenship Office in my Department.

Minister of State Roche, in a co-ordinating role in my Department, chairs an Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee on European Union Affairs. The Committee keeps under review, and works to ensure coherence on, the full range of issues on the EU's agenda. The Committee has a particular focus on the correct and timely transposition of EU legislation.

In addition to these duties, Minister of State Roche has a heavy workload within the Department of Foreign Affairs, representing the Government at a wide range of EU and international meetings. In this context, he also plays a central role in consolidating and further developing Ireland's positive bilateral EU relations, particularly with the new Member States. He was extensively involved in the public debate on the Reform Treaty in the lead up to the referendum.

Minister of State Roche also has responsibility for the Government's Communicating Europe initiative, which aims to foster a broad public understanding of, and identification with, the issues on the EU agenda.