Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 413: To ask the Minister for Defence if he has sought or received a report from his departmental representative on the central council of the Irish Red Cross on governance and industrial relations difficulties at the office of the Irish Red Cross; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42955/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish Red Cross Society is an autonomous body, established by the Irish Red Cross Society Order 1939 pursuant to the Red Cross Act, 1938. The Order sets out the basis on which the Society shall be governed. It provides that there shall be a Central Council which shall exercise the powers of the Society, organise the Society and control and manage the affairs of the Society. Membership of the Central Council is by way of appointment by the Government or by election in accordance with the rules of the Society. The Central Council in turn elects an Executive Committee.

The number of Government appointees is governed by the Order as being not less than one third of the total membership of the Central Council. One of the Government appointees is an official from my Department.

Most recently, I have been informed in broad terms of the proposed governance changes which will shortly be presented to the Central Council. When my Department receives the formal report from the Society as to its proposed restructuring it will then be subject to interdepartmental and inter agency discussion. Thereafter I will bring before Government any statutory changes deemed necessary. While industrial relations are, in the first instance, a matter for the management of the Society, I am not aware of any industrial relations difficulties within the Society.