108.— (1) The Authority shall prepare, adopt and at the times specified in subsection (2), submit to the Minister for approval a corporate plan for the 3 years immediately following the date of its submission.

(2) A corporate plan shall be submitted at the following times:

(a) within 6 months of the establishment day;

(b) within 6 months of the appointment of a new Minister for Health and Children if he or she requests that a new corporate plan be submitted;

(c) at the end of the 3 year period since the last corporate plan was submitted.

(3) The corporate plan shall be prepared in a form and manner in accordance with any direction given by the Minister and shall specify—

(a) the key objectives of the Authority for the 3 year period concerned and the strategies for achieving those objectives, and

(b) the uses to which the Authority proposes to apply its resources.

(4) In preparing the corporate plan, the Authority shall have regard to the policies of the Government or a Minister of the Government to the extent that those policies may affect or relate to the functions of the Authority.

(5) Within 3 months of receiving a corporate plan, the Minister shall—

(a) approve the plan, or

(b) refuse to approve the plan if the plan is not amended in accordance with any directions that may be given by the Minister to the Authority.

(6) An approved corporate plan may be amended by the Minister at any time or may be amended by the Authority, but in the latter case only after—

(a) the Authority submits the proposed amendment to the Minister for approval, and

(b) the amendment is approved by the Minister.

(7) Subsections (3) to (6) apply with the necessary modifications in respect of an amendment by the Authority to an approved corporate plan.

(8) Nothing in a corporate plan is to be taken to prevent the Authority from, or to limit the Authority in, performing its functions.

(9) The Minister shall ensure that a copy of an approved corporate plan is laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas—

(a) within 21 days of the plan being approved by the Minister, and

(b) if the plan is amended under subsection (6) after being approved by the Minister, within 21 days of—

(i) in the case of an amendment made by the Minister, the making of the amendment, or

(ii) in the case of an amendment made by the Authority, the approval of the amendment by the Minister.

(10) The Authority shall ensure that, as soon as practicable after copies of an approved plan are laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas, the plan is published—

(a) on the Internet, and

(b) in accordance with such other arrangements as the Minister may specify.

(11) The Authority shall provide the Minister with a progress report on the implementation of an approved corporate plan for the Authority in the Authority’s annual report and, at the request of the Minister, at other times that the Minister may specify.