Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 428: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in relation to the Temple Bar Cultural Trust, the number of staff employed by the trust; the number of persons that sit on the board; the names of these persons; the salaries and expenses they receive; the planning powers the trust has; the total value of assets under the control of the trust; if he will provide a list of these assets; the money received by the trust as a return on these assets; the consultants engaged by the trust and the cost of same; when the trust was last audited; the amount of public money spent on maintaining the trust; the date on which this quango will be abolished; when he will publish and make available to the public the Latitude report on the trust. [27935/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Temple Bar Cultural Trust organisation is a private limited company with the Dublin City Manager as the sole shareholder. Therefore, in the first instance, governance arrangements and financial management of the Trust are a matter for Dublin City Council.

I understand that the current staffing level in Temple Bar Cultural Trust is 15. The Board Members are listed below. The fees for the new Chair are currently being addressed as are the fees for the new Board Members, other than City Councillors and City Council Staff Members.

The Trust has no planning powers. The total value of assets under the control of the trust, as per the 2011 financial statements, is €48.4 million which includes €9 million investment properties and €39.4 million of cultural properties.

There are currently no consultants engaged by the Trust. The accounts for 2011 have been audited by Smyth & Williamson Freaney and are currently before the Board for approval. Temple Bar Cultural Trust is financed through its property income and receives no subsidy from Dublin City Council or central Government. The Trust, however, receives various grants from Government Departments for particular pieces of work it undertakes throughout the year. An annual grant for Culture Night amounting to €100,000 is also received from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

No decision has yet been made on the future of the Trust. I understand that an independent consultancy report into the operation of the Trust, commissioned by Dublin City Council, was presented to the Council in 2011. The contents of the report were circulated and discussed in detail at a City Council meeting on 3 October 2011. The City Manager has tasked the Board with examining the recommendations in the report.

Board Members:

Chairman: Daithi O'Ceallaigh

Cllr. Oisin Quinn

Cllr. Mannix Flynn

Cllr.Maria Parodi

Cllr. Kieran Binchy

Mr. Ray Yeates, Dublin City Council Arts Officer

Mr. Declan Wallace, Dublin City Council Assistant City Manager

Mr. Alan Connolly, Formerly CEO Irish Public Bodies Mutual Insurances Ltd

Ms. Jane Daly, Irish Theatre Institute

Mr. Martin Harte, CEO, Temple Bar Traders Association

Mr. Joe Moreau, Byrne Moreau Connell Chartered Accountants

Ms. Marie Ostinelli, Founder Member Business to Arts

Ms. Ciara Sugrue, Dublin Tourism / Failte Ireland (Resigned, vacancy to be filled)

Mr. Dermot McLaughlin, Temple Bar Cultural Trust, CEO

Mr. Dara Connolly, Temple Bar Cultural Trust, Company Secretary