Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 395: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the annual saving to the Exchequer if all board members fees paid to agencies under her aegis were cut by 25%, 35% and 50%.. [36626/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The three statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Social Welfare Tribunal, the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Board. In addition, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman comes under the remit of the Department but it does not have a Board.

Social Welfare Tribunal

No remuneration is paid to members of the Tribunal. The Tribunal meets only when and where required in order to deal with claims for Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit made in the context of an industrial dispute. Members can claim fees for attending hearings or meetings and are also entitled to claim for travel and subsistence expenses, where appropriate. There was no expenditure in 2011 and 2012 to date as no hearings or meetings were required and accordingly, no savings would have arisen if changes to fees were implemented.

Citizens Information Board

Details of potential annual savings on fees for members of the Citizens Information Board are outlined in the table below.

The figure given for the projected annual fees for 2012 includes fees in respect of current vacancies. Two board members have declined to accept fees. Information in relation to membership of the Citizens Information Board is available on the Department's website at http://www.welfare.ie/EN/AboutUs/Pages/CIB_Members.aspx .

Pensions Board

The operations of the Pensions Board are largely financed by annual fees payable to it by occupational pension schemes and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts. The Board fees paid to members of the Pensions Board are not paid out of Exchequer funding, therefore, no savings to the Exchequer would arise if board member fees were cut.

The Office of the Pensions Ombudsman

The Office of the Pensions Ombudsman does not have a Board. Accordingly, the issue of board members' fees does not arise.