Lucey proposes wide-sweeping changes to IFA

The Con Lucey report, published today, Tuesday 15 December, proposes that the role of the position of general secretary, who is the chief executive officer under the rules, should in future be described as chief executive.

A new post of secretary should be created, which would have a high degree of independence from the chief executive in defined areas dealing with governance and transparency, and would also take over some of the responsibilities the current post of assistant general secretary.

The full set of financial accounts, complete with notes, should be placed before the AGM for agreement and sign-off.

The full set of financial accounts should be made available on IFA website following approval alongside infographic setting out the key headline detail to help in the understanding of the statements more completely

With regard to staff salaries, Con Lucey found that IFA executive staff are paid "broadly in line of the grades in the civil service (assistant principal, principal officer, and assistant secretary) with whom they interact, when all relevant factors are taken into account".

Lucey also said arrangements have emerged in recent years whereby some IFA staff provide services to separate but related businesses such as IFA Telecom and receive a payment in return. "I believe that IFA staff should be working only for IFA, and that these arrangements should be reviewed. As regards payments to staff representing IFA on outside bodies, such payments should be taken into account in setting their salary levels," Lucey said.

Con Lucey has questioned the main tenets of the Dowling review of the IFA, carried out in 2005.

In particular, Lucey recommends reviewing the pivotal decision to integrate the two former positions of county chairman and county representative on the executive council. This was opposed by many within the IFA on the grounds that it would centralise power within the organisation, making it more “top-down” than “grassroots-up”.

Lucey’s findings seem to confirm that this occurred - with implicit criticism of the presidents failure to fully utilise the advisory role of the executive board. "I don't blame the executive board," Lucey said during the meeting.

Among his recommendations are:

"National committees must be restored as the key structures in the association for developing and pursuing ongoing policy initiatives."

Lucey also said: "Along with the president and general secretary, committee chairman and executive staff should be present at key meeting with government ministers."

Read the full Con Lucey report here

Additional reporting by Amy Nora Fitzgibbon, Pat O'Toole and Paul Mooney

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Full Coverage: Con Lucey report