Written answers
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Department of Justice, Equality and Defence
Appointments to State Boards
8:00 pm
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 634: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will outline the total number of appointments to State boards since March 2011 under the aegis of his Department; the total number of appointments that have been advertised on his Department's website; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35604/12]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 635: To ask the Minister for Defence the number of chairpersons appointed to State boards since March 2011 that have appeared before the relevant Joint Oireachtas Committee;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35617/12]
Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 634 and 635 together.
The State Boards under the aegis of the Department of Defence are the Civil Defence Board and the Army Pensions Board. The Civil Defence Act 2002 provides that the Board shall consist of at least eight but not more than fourteen members who shall be appointed by the Minister for Defence. Legislation is currently being drafted to dissolve the Civil Defence Board and transfer the functions of the Board back into the Department of Defence. I appointed the current Board as an interim measure from 2011. In this context, none of the positions were advertised, nor was the chairperson interviewed by an Oireachtas committee.
Membership of the interim Board appointed from 2011 is set out in the following table:
Name | Nominating Bodies |
Civil Defence Board Chairperson | |
Mr. Brian SpainDirector, Department of Defence | Nominated by Minister for Defence |
Civil Defence Board Members | |
Mr. Cathal DuffyPrincipal Officer, Department of Defence | Nominated by the Minister for Defence |
Ms. Clare TiernanPrincipal Officer, Department of Defence | Nominated by the Minister for Defence |
Mr. Robert MooneyPrincipal Officer, Department of Defence | Nominated by the Minister for Defence |
Mr. Bill SmithDirector General, Civil Defence Board | Appointed as Director General, Civil Defence Board |
Mr. Ned GleesonCounty Manager, Limerick City Council | Nominated by City & County Managers Association |
Mr. Keith LeonardAssistant Fire Advisor | Nominated by the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government |
Dr. Barbara Rafferty | Nominated by Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland |
Ms. Becci Cantrell | Nominated by the Environmental Protection Agency |
Ms. Veronica FordeAssistant Civil Defence Officer | Nominated by the Civil Defence Officers Association |
Lt. Col. Tony KellySSO, Defence Forces | Nominated by the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces |
Chief Superintendent Orla Mc PartlinAn Garda Síochána | Nominated by the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána |
Mr. Fergal Conroy | Elected volunteer member of Civil Defence |
Ms. Eileen Joyce | Elected staff member of the Civil Defence Board |
The Army Pensions Board is an independent statutory body established under the Army Pensions Act, 1927. The Act specifies that the Board shall consist of a chairman and two ordinary members. The two ordinary members must be qualified medical practitioners of whom one must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps. The chairman and the non military ordinary member are appointed by the Minister for Defence with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Army Medical Corps ordinary member is appointed by the Minister for Defence on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.
The position of Army Medical Corps ordinary member became vacant due to retirement in 2011, and I have since appointed Commandant Adam Lagun to the Board on the recommendation of the Chief of Staff. As the Army Pensions Act 1927 specifies that one of the ordinary members must be an officer of the Army Medical Corps, this position could not be advertised on the Department's website. Details of Commandant Lagun's appointment to the Army Pensions Board were published in the Iris Oifigiúl. All appointments to Boards under the aegis of my Department are in accordance with the relevant legislation or regulations.
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