Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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26. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if, in view of the recent developments at Horse Racing Ireland, there any other State agencies where business cases have been made to his Department for reappointing chief executive officers beyond their original term; the processes he has in place to ensure proper board procedures are being observed in making such business cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30936/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Since my appointment as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform no other Chief Executive of a Commercial State Body has been reappointed beyond their original term - the consent to the reappointment of the CEO of Horse Racing Ireland having been given on an exceptional basis.

By way of further information to the Deputy, I am aware that a number of Chief Executives of Commercial State Bodies have, through the operation of law, acquired Contracts of Indefinite Duration under the terms of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003.

With regard to the governance procedures for state agencies, my Department has recently published a revised and updated Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, which has been agreed by Government.

This revised and updated document is designed to ensure that both commercial and non-commercial State bodies meet the highest standards of corporate governance. It provides a framework for the application of best practice and is intended to take account of developments in respect of oversight, reporting requirements and the appointment of Board members. The Code is based on the underlying principles of good governance: accountability, transparency, probity and a focus on the sustainable success of the organisation over the longer term.

The updated code outlines the respective responsibilities of the Board, Chairperson, parent Department and Minister, it also outlines the role of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Code also provides that the term of a contract of a CEO is normallylimited to a single contract period of between five and seven years but there is no maximum length of service for CEO's.

The updated code can be found at the following link: