Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 71: To ask the Minister for Defence when the name of the new chairperson of the Irish Red Cross Society will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23406/10]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Defence the action he will take regarding the recommendation of the internal working group in the Irish Red Cross Society; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23361/10]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 76 together.

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 and is an independent, self-governing charitable institution. The formal report of the Working Group on Governance was received in January of this year. A preliminary discussion on the recommendations in the Report was held in February between the Society and the Department of Defence. On the 18th May I met with the Vice Chairman and the Secretary General of the Society and assured them of my support in helping them achieve the aims set out in the Report. To do so will require significant amendments to the Irish Red Cross Society Order 1939. The Society and Officials from the Department of Defence are due to meet shortly to agree the specific changes required to the 1939 Order. In tandem with this, formal views on the changes will be sought from other Government Departments.

The Chairman of the Society must be a member of the Central Council. In nominating persons to Central Council, the Government considers that it is highly desirable that the Society should have on its governing body, professional people with a wide variety of knowledge and expertise, gained through work experience in both the public and private sector and volunteer experience with the Society. The Government, in recommending to the President a person to act as Chairman, will carefully consider and nominate a person who it deems will make a positive contribution to the affairs of the Society. Such a role assumes even greater importance now given the imminent changes to the Society's organisation.