James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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1057. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of members of boards in each body under the aegis of his Department who have a professional accounting qualification, for each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12161/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Board members of the the bodies under the aegis of my Department holding professional accounting qualifications

Citizens Information Board

Pensions Authority

I can confirm that there are no members of the Board of the Pensions Authority who held an accounting qualification for each of the years 2020 to 2025. However members of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Pensions Authority held accounting qualifications and relevant financial experience for each of the years 2020 – 2025.

James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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1058. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to identify, by body name and associated skills gap, any skills gaps identified by the chairperson of that board in correspondence to his Department or a Minister in respect of the composition of the board of the body referred, for each year between 2020 and 2025, in tabular form; to identify any body where the chairperson of that board never identified skills gaps to his Department or a Minister, by year and body; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12179/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The State bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal.

Neither the Chairpersons of the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority nor the Pensions Council have identified any skills gap in correspondence to the Department or Minister in respect of the composition of their boards for each year from 2020 to 2025.

There has been no necessity for the Social Welfare Tribunal to sit since 2014.

James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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1059. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to confirm that for each year between 2020 and 2025 in respect of the boards of bodies under the aegis of his Department, at least one member of the audit and risk committee of that board has recent, relevant financial experience for each of those years; where that is not the case, to identify that body, by reference to the year or years where no so such member existed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12197/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The State bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal.

I can confirm that the membership of the Audit and Risk Committees of both the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Authority have had at least one member with recent and relevant financial experience for each year from 2020 to 2025.

The Pensions Council (An Chomhairle Pinsean) was set up to advise the Minister for Social Protection on matters relating to policy on pensions. As it is only an advisory body, an Audit and Risk Committee is not required.

The Social Welfare Tribunal is a special statutory appeals system for people who are refused Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance because of an industrial dispute at their place of employment. It has not sat since 2014. Therefore, there is no need for a specific Audit and Risk Committee to be attached to that Tribunal.

James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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1060. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to confirm that for each year between 2020 and 2025 in respect of the boards of bodies under the aegis of his Department, that the board has a terms of reference; where that is not the case, to identify that body, by reference to year or years where no terms of reference existed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12215/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The State bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal. I can confirm that the boards of the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Authority have had terms of reference in place for each year from 2020 to 2025.

The Pensions Council has Rules of Procedure (similar to Terms of Reference) in place for each year from 2020 to 2025.

The terms of reference for the Social Welfare Tribunal are set out in statute - Part 10, Chapter 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidated Act 2005 (as amended)