Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation if he has received an annual report for each of the past three years from the chairman of all State bodies under the auspices of his Department; if the pay of chief executives and employees of such bodies is fully in accordance with Government policy; if he will list any such bodies where this requirement under the code of practice for the governance of State bodies has not been met or no report has been received; if he will provide full details of such issues in such reports and if these reports will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46709/10]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I am presuming that the Deputy is referring to the State Bodies that come under the remit of my Department, which, as it happens, are all non-commercial bodies. In this respect, the position with regard to the Annual Reports for the Agencies under the aegis of my Department is set out in the table:

Notes:

1 It is expected that the NSAI Annual Report 2009 will be laid before the Oireachtas shortly once the Irish translation is completed.

2 The North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) noted the 2009 Annual Report and Accounts for InterTrade Ireland at the Trade and Business Development Sectoral meeting held on 12th November 2010. Upon receipt of the Annual Report in hard copy format, it will be brought to Government for approval to lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas shortly thereafter.

In relation to the 35 City and County Enterprise Boards (CEBs), the 2009 Annual Reports for 27 of the Boards are with the Comptroller and Auditor General for consideration before they can be published. The Annual Reports for the other 8 Boards for 2009 have been published and laid before the Oireachtas, as have all the Reports for all CEBs for 2008 and 2007.

In relation to the pay of the chief executives and employees of our Agencies, I can confirm that these comply with Government policy.

In relation to the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Agencies, the Annual Reports for 12 of the Agencies in the earlier table contain statements indicating compliance with provisions of the Code. However, for the remaining Agency, the Competition Authority, its statement of compliance is contained in the Authority's Financial Statements 2009, which were furnished to me on December 1st 2010, rather than in its Annual Report. The Authority, in compliance with the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002 publishes its annual report within two months from the end of its financial year, but cannot publish its annual audited accounts until they have been examined by the Comptroller and Auditor General later in the year.

Finally, the Deputy should note the separate reporting and remuneration arrangements that apply in relation to the North/South Body, InterTradeIreland (ITI). In this case the salary of the Chief Executive is approved by the respective Finance Departments, North and South, as well as by the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) Secretariat. The pay scales of the Chief Executive and the employees of the ITI are linked to Northern Ireland Civil Service payscales.