Strong views are expressed on the lack of structures.

The key deficit identified is around corporate governance. Con Lucey recommends the establishment of a specific role, that of secretary, with responsibility for ensuring robust governance.

This role would:

  • Be autonomous from the chief executive as regards certain functions in the areas of governance and transparency (similar to a company secretary).
  • Be responsible to the Executive Council for ensuring that the appropriate rules and procedures are observed and respected. Responsibilities would include ensuring high standards as regards agendas, minutes and reports of meetings.
  • Ensure that the constitution and rules are respected, and would administer the process in relation to rule changes.
  • Inform all newly-elected senior officers of their role, duties and responsibilities under the IFA constitution and rules. The president and Executive Council members would have access to the secretary for information and advice in a confidential and independent manner.
  • Have two reporting lines (a) to the president, executive council and executive board on matters covered by his/her role under the rules, and (b) to the chief executive on other issues.

    • Chief executive

    Con Lucey recommends that the IFA’s rules need to be amended to adequately reflect the importance of the general secretary, who should be retitled the chief executive.

  • Future appointments of chief executive should be on a flexible fixed-term basis. However, the Executive Council should take advice on the best practice in this area.
  • Bearing in mind the importance of the chief executive in the IFA structure, a one-year probationary period should apply.

    • Con Lucey recommends that the executive board be given an enhanced role, with some decision-making repsonsiblity vested in it.

    Structures

    He also states that National Committees “must be restored as the key structures in the association for developing and pursuing ongoing policy initiatives. Policy proposals should be transmitted from members/branches/county executives through the national committee structure”.

    He continues: “Policy will then be agreed by national committees and proposed by the committee chairmen to the Executive Council, which will have the final decision on national IFA policy”.

    “Behind the scenes” decisions must be avoided.

    Serious consideration should be given to re-establishing the National Executive Committee (or its equivalent), which would meet a minimum of twice a year.

    Con Lucey specifically refers to the Dowling review of the IFA’s structures which was introduced during John Dillon’s presidency, stating: “The Executive Council should review the decision to integrate the two former positions of county chairman and county representative on the Executive Council”.

    Lucey also recommends the restitution of the former National Executive Committee, removed following the Dowling Review. It consisted of members of the Executive Board (then known as the National Honorary Officers Committee) and the chairmen of the National Committees.

    “This was a very useful forum in the past for the coordination of national policy,” says Lucey.

    Other recommendations

  • Along with the president and general secretary, Committee chairmen and executive staff should be present at key meetings with Government Ministers relevant to their areas of expertise.
  • There should be a structured arrangement for regular briefings by the chairmen and executive staff of the president and the general secretary on the current main issues and policy proposals. Also, ad-hoc briefings should take place at times of crisis or ahead of important meetings by the president with the Government, EU or agri-business.

    • Read more

    Full coverage: Con Lucey report