Questions

873. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide the title, version date, and last review date of the Department's internal governance guidance used by officials when assessing conflicts of interest for appointments to the board of Bord Bia, including the Chairperson role, beyond the general requirements of the code of practice for the governance of State bodies; and …

874. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific assessment steps applied by his Department before recommending or approving the appointment of a Chairperson to Bord Bia, including, the documents reviewed, the criteria used to assess external commercial interests relevant to Bord Bia's statutory functions, and the official level at which the assessment is signed off; and if…

875. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the frequency and format of conflict of interest disclosures required by his Department from Bord Bia board members and the Chairperson, including whether disclosures are required on appointment, annually, and on the occurrence of material changes; and the definition of "material change" applied for the purposes of such disclosure require…

876. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of times in each of the last five years that his Department has requested additional information, clarifications, mitigation measures, or recusals from Bord Bia board members arising from conflict of interest disclosures; and the number of cases, if any, where the Department directed that a disclosed interest be managed by recu…

877. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the dates on which corporate governance meetings between his Department and Bord Bia were held in 2024, 2025, and to date in 2026; whether conflicts of interest, declarations of interest, or perception risks were discussed at any of these meetings; and if so, whether minutes or action logs exist and will be provided, with any personal dat…

878. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether, since 1 January 2025, he has requested or received any written assurance, report, or governance submission from Bord Bia relating to the management of perceived conflicts of interest at chairperson or board level; and if so, the date received and whether he will publish it or place it in the Oireachtas library, with any personal …

879. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has assessed the potential impact of governance controversies on farmer participation and confidence in the Bord Bia quality assurance system; and if so, the methodology used, the indicators reviewed, and the date of the most recent assessment. [8224/26]

880. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he will initiate a targeted review of conflict-of-interest and perception-risk guidance for State bodies in the agri-food sector under his remit, including Bord Bia; and if so, the scope, the body or unit leading the review, and the timeline for completion. [8225/26]

797. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the governance framework applied by his Department in assessing potential conflicts of interest when appointing or approving the appointment of a chairperson to Bord Bia, including the criteria used to assess external commercial interests; and whether this framework has been reviewed or updated in view of recent public concerns regarding …

798. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the ongoing oversight mechanisms in place within his Department to monitor conflicts of interest arising during the term of office of Bord Bia board members, including the chairperson; and whether his Department requires updated disclosures where material changes arise in commercial activities relevant to the statutory remit of Bord Bia. …

799. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he is satisfied that existing governance arrangements fully protect the statutory role of Bord Bia in promoting Irish food and agricultural produce; and the safeguards in place to ensure that board-level decision-making is not perceived to conflict with the interests of Irish farmers or Ireland’s agrifood reputation in internation…

800. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the assessment which has been carried out by his Department on the impact of governance controversies within Bord Bia on farmer confidence in the Bord Bia quality assurance system; and the steps his Department takes, at policy level, to maintain confidence among primary producers in State-supported quality assurance structures. [6556/26]

801. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the disclosure and transparency obligations imposed on Bord Bia's board members in respect of external commercial interests, including the way such disclosures are reviewed by his Department; and whether he plans to strengthen these requirements to protect public confidence in the governance of State bodies under his remit. [6557/26]

802. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he plans to initiate, or has requested, a review of governance and conflict-of-interest guidance as it applies specifically to State bodies operating in the agrifood sector, including Bord Bia; and the scope and timeline of any such review. [6558/26]