Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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178. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has engaged with Sport Ireland and or the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding the appointment of the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to a position within an organisation (details supplied); if so, the nature of the engagements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18650/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The appointment of independent directors to the board of the association mentioned by the Deputy is a matter for the association itself. 

A Nominations Committee was formed by the association to appoint independent directors to its board in line with one of the key recommendations of the Governance Review Group report. Sport Ireland was invited by the association to nominate two independent persons to this committee and a recruitment company was appointed by the association to assist with the selection of independent directors.

Neither the Minister for Media, Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and the Gaeltacht Catherine Martin TD, the Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers TD nor their officials had any role in the appointment of the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform by the association as one of its independent directors nor did they engage with Sport Ireland or the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding the appointment.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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179. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has reviewed the memorandum of understanding between her Department and an association (details supplied) in respect of organisational reform and restructuring in order to secure State funding; if he or his predecessor received contact and or correspondence requesting that the memorandum of understanding be amended or reviewed; the nature of the amendments requested and the persons that made them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18651/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I can inform the Deputy that during a meeting with Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport officials in June, the President of the association requested that the commitments in the MOU be reviewed. There was a specific request for a review of the commitment relating to the appointment of six independent directors to the board of the association.

Following consultation with the then Ministers, the Department provided a clear and unambiguous response to the association that the relevant rule changes committed to by the association are required to be implemented by the timelines agreed and stated in the MOU. The Department also informed the association that the process to recruit the additional independent directors must be initiated immediately after the date of rule change, and successfully concluded within 16 weeks of that date. 

The Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht Catherine Martin and the Minister of State with responsibility for Sport Jack Chambers met with the Board of the association mentioned by the Deputy on 27 July to confirm that they would not reopen for discussion any part of the MOU agreed by the previous Government. This followed a letter by Minister Martin and then Minister of State Dara Calleary confirming that the conditions for governance reform were essential to rebuild public trust and to enable the disbursement of the funding package set out in the MOU. The Ministers affirmed that no funding would be disbursed by the Department or Sport Ireland to the association until progress was made on key outstanding issues in the memorandum of understanding. The Ministers called on the Board to show leadership to deliver the necessary changes at an extraordinary general meeting convened as early as possible. The Ministers also confirmed their support for Sport Ireland to liaise with the association and verify implementation of the governance and financial control requirements as agreed in January.