Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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557. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to change the composition of the NCIB in order to ensure that members of the board have maritime experience; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47856/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) was set up under the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000 (“the 2000 Act”) to investigate and determine the cause of marine casualties and to publish reports of such investigations.

Under Section 8 of the 2000 Act, the MCIB is independent of the Minister in the performance of its functions and, in general, is independent of any other person or body whose interests could conflict with the functions of the Board.

In relation to the composition of the MCIB, I wish to confirm that the Board, and the individual members of the Board, do not actually carry out marine casualty investigations. Such investigations are carried out by external, independent investigators drawn from a panel established by the MCIB for this purpose.

Section 9 of the 2000 Act specifically deals with the composition of the MCIB. The Board consists of five members, three of which are appointed by the Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport. In addition, the Chief Surveyor of the Marine Survey Office is an ex officio member of the board and the Secretary General of this Department, or his or her nominee, is also a member of the board. The current nominee of the Secretary General is the Lead Investigator of the Railway Accident Investigation Unit, which is based in this Department. Prior to this the previous nominee of the Secretary General was the Chief Aeronautical Officer of the Air Accident Investigation Unit, which is also based in this Department.

The remit of the Board, its statutory powers and its obligations are contained in the 2000 Act. In addition, the MCIB is also subject to the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies (revised in 2016), which is designed to ensure that State bodies meet the highest standards of corporate governance.

I wish to advise that the current Chairperson of the MCIB is due to complete her term in January 2019. In this regard, my Department has already begun the process to appoint the next Chairperson.

On 5 October 2018 the Public Appointment Service (PAS) advertised for the upcoming vacancy on its dedicated website for appointments to State Boards (www.stateboards.ie). In support of this campaign, a comprehensive booklet was produced and published by PAS (in conjunction with my Department) inviting applications from suitably qualified candidates and specifying the particular skills and experiences required of the Chairperson of the MCIB. In addition to the identified key competencies required of the Chairperson, the booklet expressed a desire for applications from candidates with experience or knowledge of marine accident investigation or accident investigation in another sector, or Health and Safety Management.

My Department hopes to conclude the appointment process shortly and to have the new Chairperson in place by early 2019 to continue to lead the MCIB in its important work.

Finally, it is anticipated that 2 additional vacancies on the MCIB (including the position of Deputy Chairperson) may arise in 2020. My Department will work closely with PAS at the relevant time to ensure that we attract suitably qualified and experienced candidates who will uphold the required high standards of corporate governance and continue to oversee the effective running of the MCIB.