Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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494. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 537 and 538 of 16 December 2014, the number of meetings between the Minister-Minister of State and the MAC for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013; if his special advisers attended the MAC meetings for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2457/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I have included in the table below the dates of meetings of my Department's Management Advisory Committee (MAC) in 2011, 2012 and 2013. This is an updated and amended list from the table provided in response to PQs 47864/14 and 47880/14 answered together on Tuesday, 16th December, 2014. A number of informal Management Advisory Committee meetings took place to discuss internal organisational matters, with no Minister present, and these are now included in the revised table.

In principle, each MAC meeting involves the Secretary General of the Department as Chair, the Heads of Division at HQ at Assistant Secretary and above grades. In addition, since 2013, a number of officers at Principal Officer and equivalent grades have been appointed to serve on my Department’s MAC. The Minister and/or Ministers of State do not generally attend Management Advisory Committee meetings, but, as previously advised, are in very regular communication with members of the Management Advisory Committee.

According to Departmental records, prior to my appointment as Minister in 2014, my immediate predecessor, Tánaiste Eamonn Gilmore T.D., attended Management Advisory Committee meetings on three occasions in the years 2011 to 2013. The particular dates in question were: (2011) Thursday, 10 March & Friday, 8 April; (2013) Monday, 10 June. Mr. Mark Garrett, Chief advisor to the Tánaiste also attended the meeting of 8 April, 2011. No Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade attended Management Advisory Committee meetings in 2011, 2012 and 2013.