Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 728: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of the review of the Equality Authority's budget and the delay on its decentralisation which he announced on 22 April 2009. [38568/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 742: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of the review of the Equality Authority's budget and the delay on its decentralisation which he announced in the Dáil on 22 April 2009. [38649/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 728 and 742 together.

All matters regarding the Equality Authority's budget will be considered in the context of the preparation of the Estimates for 2010.

As I previously indicated to the House, I have agreed in principle to a request from the Chair of the Equality Authority to suspend the transfer of staff from Dublin to Roscrea on the grounds of hardship.

I asked my officials to work out the details on a case-by-case basis with the Chief Executive Officer of the Authority and to review the situation again in 2011 when other aspects of the wider decentralisation programme are due to be reviewed.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 729: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if there is any substance in the previously leaked revised Programme for Government proposal by a newspaper (details supplied) that equality will move from the Department of Justice to another Department. [38569/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 752: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if there is any substance in the previously leaked Revised Programme for Government proposal by a newspaper (details supplied) that equality will move from the Department of Justice to another Department. [38659/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 729 and 752 together.

The Renewed Programme for Government was published on 10 October 2009. I do not propose to comment on press speculation.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 730: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the recommendation within the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programme report that the non-pay budget of the Equality Authority should be reduced by 10%. [38570/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 743: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the recommendation within the special group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programme's report that the non-pay budget of the Equality Authority should be reduced by 10%. [38650/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 730 and 743 together.

The recommendations of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes are being considered in the context of the preparation of the Estimates for 2010.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 731: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the commencement date and completion date of the value for money audit of the Equality Authority carried out by consultants Deloitte Touche. [38571/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 732: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the cost of the audit of the Equality Authority carried out by consultants Deloitte Touche; and when the audit will be made public. [38572/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 744: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the commencement date and completion date of the value for money audit of the Equality Authority carried out by consultants Deloitte Touche. [38651/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 745: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the cost of the audit of the Equality Authority carried out by consultants Deloitte Touche. [38652/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 746: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when the audit of the Equality Authority carried out by Deloitte Touche will be made public. [38653/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 731,732 and 744 to 746, inclusive, together.

Work commenced on the value for money review (VFM) of the Equality Authority in August 2008. The final draft of the VFM report is currently being reviewed by the Steering Group which was established to assist with this report. When the Group have completed their review in the very near future, the report will be sent to my office for consideration. It is intended that the report be published as soon as possible thereafter.

To date the VFM project has cost €36,450. A significant amount of time has been spent on this review and a broad range of stakeholders have been interviewed to get an appreciation of the work being carried out by the Equality Authority.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 733: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason the Irish Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority are not directly answerable to the Houses of the Oireachtas. [38573/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 747: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason the Irish Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority are not directly answerable to the Houses of the Oireachtas. [38654/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 733 and 747 together.

The Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority are established under legislation which provides, as is the case of other statutory bodies such as the Courts Service, for funding out of moneys voted by the Oireachtas. The Commission and the Authority are responsible to my Department in such matters as staff and finance, also the expenses incurred in their administration must be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance, and their Chief Executives are accountable in one form or other to Committees of the Oireachtas.

Moreover, the legislation in the case of the Human Rights Commission provides that it is independent in the exercise of its functions.

I have no proposals for amending legislation to provide that the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority be further administratively linked to the Oireachtas.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 734: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the procedure for the formal selection of Equality Authority board members. [38574/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 735: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his proposals for the vacant Equality Authority board seats. [38575/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 736: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if organisations or sectors are listed or consulted in the selection of the Equality Authority Board. [38576/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 737: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has responded to congress on the status of and the refilling of its allocated board members. [38577/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 748: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the procedure for the formal selection of Equality Authority board members. [38655/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 749: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his proposals for the vacant Equality Authority board seats. [38656/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 750: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has responded to Congress on the status of and refilling its allocated board members. [38657/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 751: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if organisations or sectors are listed or consulted in the selection of the Equality Authority board. [38658/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 734 to 737, inclusive, and 748 to 751, inclusive, together.

The procedure for making appointments to the Board of the Equality Authority is set out in Part V of the Employment Equality Act 1998 as amended. Section 44 of the Act provides that two persons (one male and one female) shall be appointed on the nomination by organisations representative of employees and two persons (one male and one female) shall be appointed on the nomination by organisations representative of employers. The section provides that the remaining number of ordinary members of the Authority shall be such persons as appear to the Minister to be persons who have knowledge of, or experience in-

(i) consumer, social affairs or equality issues, including issues relating to the experience and circumstances of groups who are disadvantaged by reference to gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin or membership of the Traveller community,

(ii) issues related to the provision of goods and services, or

(iii) such other subject-matter (including law, finance, management or administration) as appears to the Minister to be relevant to the issues to which the functions of the Authority relate.

Apart from the provision relating to nominations from employee or employer organisations, the Act does not list organisations or sectors to be consulted prior to the making of appointments.

Section 44 provides that where a casual vacancy occurs among any members of the Authority nominated by employee or employer organisations the Minister shall forthwith invite the organisation which made the nomination concerned to nominate a person for appointment to fill the vacancy and the Minister shall appoint to fill the vacancy the person so nominated.

When the members of the Authority appointed on the nomination of ICTU and IBEC resigned, I immediately wrote to ICTU and IBEC requesting them to nominate persons for appointment. IBEC made such nominations but ICTU have not done so to date.

The Act provides that the Authority shall consist of not less than 12 and not more than 16 members. There are 13 members at present.