Boards that advise the Government

Purple

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There are multiple boards and bodies that advise the Government and make recommendations that are, de-facto, binding on the State but the membership of those boards is far from transparent.

Who are the members of the Commission for Taxation and Welfare? Google doesn't tell me.

Where are the biographies of the members of the Labour Court and how are they appointed? Their names are listed on the Labour Courts website but a Google search gives very little information other than a note saying that results have been removed on data protection grounds.

I'm sure other posters can add to the list.
Is it appropriate that hundreds of million in State spending should be allocated and significant policy decisions should be made by bodies with no public accountability and very limited visibility?
 
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Who are the members of the Commission for Taxation and Welfare?

This excellent contributor to Askaboutmoney gives his assessment of the individual members and their suitability.

 
recommendations that are, de-facto, binding on the State

"de-facto" means "in effect". You seem to think it means "not remotely" ?

The biggest problem with these Commissions is that their recommendations are not that influential.

They are not a waste of time. But they take a long-time to be implemented.

It would be a great study to see how effective they are.

The Kenny Report was in 1973 and apparently, its recommendations were not implemented and are still valid!


Three decades after the Kenny report recommended that building land should be compulsorily acquired by local authorities for 25 per cent more than its agricultural value, the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution says that's exactly what we should be doing, writes Frank McDonald, Environment Editor



Brendan
 
This excellent contributor to Askaboutmoney gives his assessment of the individual members and their suitability.

How were they appointed? What Dáil committee did they go before for a public hearing before they are appointed?
What are the backgrounds of the members of the Labour Court? What Dáil committee did they go before for a public hearing before they are appointed?
Look at the Public Service Pay Commission. There are three members who aren't current or retired Unionised/State employees. How are they selected and what Dáil committee did they go before for a public hearing before they are appointed?
 
"de-facto" means "in effect". You seem to think it means "not remotely" ?

The biggest problem with these Commissions is that their recommendations are not that influential.

They are not a waste of time. But they take a long-time to be implemented.

It would be a great study to see how effective they are.

The Kenny Report was in 1973 and apparently, its recommendations were not implemented and are still valid!


Three decades after the Kenny report recommended that building land should be compulsorily acquired by local authorities for 25 per cent more than its agricultural value, the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution says that's exactly what we should be doing, writes Frank McDonald, Environment Editor



Brendan
When it comes to recommendations about pay increases and spending public money they seem to be de-facto.
When it comes to fixing structural problems within the State sector I agree that they are usually ignored.
 
Can you find a similar link for the Labour Court?
I don't understand.
What do you mean by "members" of the Labour Court?
Isn't it run by civil servants?
Administrative Structure of the Labour Court

The workings of the Labour Court are supported by an administrative service staffed by civil servants. The service is divided into 3 administrative sections - Programming, Secretariat and General Administration.

...
 
I don't understand.
What do you mean by "members" of the Labour Court?
Isn't it run by civil servants?
There is a list of members. There is no bio of the members and when I do a Google search I get almost nothing about them. I can't know how they they are selected or vetted.

Can you find out who was on the Review Group, chaired by Kieran Mulvey, that recommended the reduction in working hours for State employees at a cost of a third of a billion a year? Can you find out how they were appointed?
 
There are multiple boards and bodies that advise the Government and make recommendations that are, de-facto, binding on the State but the membership of those boards is far from transparent.
Appointments to state boards are made as provided for by the relevant legislation. For example, appointments to the the Labout Court are made by the Minister pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act 1946. The appointment will be specified in a statutory instrument; these are circulated to Oireachtas members before they take effect. The SI is then published in the Iris Oifiguil.
Is it appropriate that hundreds of million in State spending should be allocated and significant policy decisions should be made by bodies with no public accountability and very limited visibility?




I think this point is more important, i.e. do our public representatives have the ability to supervise adequately significant expenditure by state bodies? The National Transport Authority, for example, it's a billion euro operation, but is it adequately supervised?
 
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Appointments to state boards are made as provided for by the relevant legislation
The group that Kieran Mulvey headed wasn't a State Board, it was a "Review group" but they spend a third of a billion of public money.
I happen to agree with their recommendation but that's not the point.
 
You need to differentiate between state boards (such as the NTA) and bodies such as the Labour Court and advisory groups. Board positions on quangos are often (I'm can't say always) advertised as were the recent vacancies on the NTA.

I can't say who appointed the public sector hours advisory group but here is another example of one announced last year

The Government don't have to accept or listen to the responses from an advisory group, ultimately they decide and we vote in (or out) the people who do decide.

What would concern me from a transparency perspective is that the board minutes of many of these bodies are a master class in how to say as little as possible
 
The Government don't have to accept or listen to the responses from an advisory group, ultimately they decide and we vote in (or out) the people who do decide.
Usually they hide behind such groups in the hope that we don't vote them out. It's that deflection of political responsibility that concerns me.
 
Usually they hide behind such groups in the hope that we don't vote them out. It's that deflection of political responsibility that concerns me.
Or they can set the terms of references in such a way to give the answer they wanted in the first place
 
That's usually the way of things - whoever pays the piper, chooses the tune
 
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