THEY head up organisations which make some of the most important decisions that affect our lives. They decide how millions of euro of public money are spent.

They inform changes to the law and the structure of our tax, education and health systems. Their work will hugely influence what Ireland will be like in a decade's time, through research, funding and policy decisions . . . yet many of them are unknown.

Here, the low-profile leaders of Ireland talk about their vision for the Ireland of 2016; what would need to be achieved to make their roles redundant; and what they think about current government choices.

Patricia Rickard-Clarke Job: Full time commissioner at the Law Reform Commission Role: to make recommendations to reform the law Budget: 2m On what they do: "We are an independent body which examines specific areas of law, such as co-habitation, land law (which will modernise land law currently in use, which dates back to 1300), decision-making for vulnerable adults and we get referrals from the attorney general. We consult widely on what changes should be made to laws, carry out detailed research, make recommendations for change and draft new legislation. We also look to other jurisdictions for comparisons.

"Our job is to recommend laws that are relevant for society. The rule of law is a very important thing in any democracy, we need relevant laws so that, when issues arise, the laws are there to deal with it. There is always a tension between reacting to concerns or leading on them, and the Law Reform Commission needs to be doing both."

On the future: "We will have a new work programme from 2008 to 2014. In formulating this, we have to forecast which topics are going to be most relevant to society in the next seven years. We look at what are the big issues for society now, such as changes in family structure and immigration. Next year, we will consult on what topics we should cover in the future, and we will continue to get referrals from the attorney general. And we never know what they are going to be. As society changes, there will always be laws that need to be reformed. One of our difficulties is to confine our work, as there are endless areas that need reform."

On Ireland now: "Obviously, the economy is very vibrant. However, I personally think there's a lack of strategic planning in some areas. As a society, we need to be better at policy and planning. A good example is multiunit developments. We now have half-amillion people residing in multi-unit developments (such as apartments) in the first nine months of 2006. And 57% of build in Dublin and 22% nationwide were multiunit developments, yet we didn't plan this, so now we need appropriate laws and policy to govern them. We need to plan better for the future."

Alpha Connelly Job: Chief Executive Officer at the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) Role: to promote and protect the human rights of individuals Budget: 2m On what they do: "Our job is to raise awareness of the importance of human rights, to get the public and government to put human rights at the centre of society. In 2005, the IHRC conducted research on economic and social rights . . . rights in areas such as education, health and housing. In 2006, we undertook more concrete research with the Equality Authority into the right to housing. The outcome of this will be useful to government because it will provide concrete indicators on how state resources can be used to respect the right to housing.

Government has substantial financial resources, and the IHRC wants those resources used in a way that demonstrates the state's respect for human rights."

On the future: "The IHRC will launch its second strategic plan in 2007. We will continue some of the areas we cover at present such as racism, gender, equality, disability, economic, social and cultural rights and we will work on new areas.

Immigration is a very important issue: we have large numbers of immigrants, yet we still don't have a clear immigration policy.

The IHRC is involved in the development of the Immigration, Resident and Protection Bill. Part of our work is to ensure that immigrants are treated with respect . . . for example, that they are not required to carry ID at all times. We want the government to ratify the UN Convention on Protection of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

"History suggests that constant vigilance is required in the area of human rights.

There is a tendency of people in positions of public power at times to cut corners and abuse their powers. Human rights can prevent this happening."

On Ireland now: "Our record is not disastrous or appalling, but there is plenty of room for improvement. The challenge for our commission is to ensure that human rights are core to laws and policies."

Leonie Lunny Job: Chief Executive of Comhairle Budget: 28m Role: to source information and present it in a way that makes it easy for people to understand and use On what they do: "We deliver information to people who need it through three channels:

the website www. citizensinformation. ie; by phone; and through citizen information centres. If you see information as power, then it is an essential commodity and without it, you can barred from where you should be. We want to empower people with information. We want people to get information in way that suits them. This year, we got millions of hits on the web, responded to about 100,000 queries by phone and 850,000 queries in citizen information centres.

"We want to provide the highest quality information on every service that people might look for in the state. Part of what we do is to gather information on glitches in public services, analyse them and give feedback.

We also have a particular responsibility for advocacy for people with a disability."

On the future: "We want to do what we do now but we want to do it better. We want to reach more people and increase awareness of services and rights.

"The role of technology in the future is unknown. We may all be accessing information through our mobile phones. If so, then our role is to make accessing information as simple as possible for each citizen. This can be challenging, especially when you want to provide information to those in greatest need.

"If all organisations in the public and voluntary sectors put the needs of the citizen at the centre of their work, we would not need to be here. Some public services such as the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Revenue Commissioners have made huge strides in this area.

On Ireland now: "I think there is an increasing awareness of customers in the public sector. The commitment is there but there's still quite a way to go. You can give information, advise and advocate, but if the services aren't there, then we are not responding to the needs of citizens."

Ruth Barrington Job: Chief Executive of the Health Research Board Budget: 50m Role: to improve people's health through research and information On what they do: "Today's research is tomorrow's healthcare service. Through researching health, medicine and healthcare, we can save lives, reduce disability and improve people's quality of life. It is real progress that health research is now part of the overall Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation.

"Health research also has a major contribution to make to the growth of the economy in Ireland: for example, encouraging research and development linked to pharmaceutical and medical devices industries."

In the future: "We have a very ambitious agenda. We are currently carrying out a survey on the impact of demographic growth on the need for healthcare services, and preliminary findings will be published this year.

"We are going to develop a clinical research centre, which will link hospitals and universities so that together they can carry out very high-quality clinical research.

"There is a revolution underway in the mapping of the human genome, which will revolutionise how we treat diseases. We are going to develop an all-Ireland gene library, which will host the genes of 10,000 volunteers. This will allow the comparison of specific cases to the population as a whole.

"If Irish people are to benefit from the gene revolution, we need to stay abreast of research, to up-skill people and we need to make sure that health services adapt to research developments.

"There is also a revolution in technology . . .

for example, through 'imaging'; a MRI scan can watch what a drug is doing in your body and see if it's being effective. This is changing the way we understand disease.

"We want to attract more young people into health research and we are going to develop a career structure so that people see health research as an attractive area to work in."

On Ireland now: "I think we've made a lot of good choices. The government commitment to investment in research and science is hugely welcome. We have come a long way, but we have not come far enough and not quickly enough. I am concerned around growth in private medicine. Private medicine does not do research or educate. If we are going down the private route in healthcare, then we need to ensure that the private sector contributes to education and research."

Rory O'Donnell Job: Director of National Economic and Social Council (NESC) Budget: just under 1m Role: to bring together the social partners (unions, farmers, business and community and voluntary sectors) with senior civil servants to analyse and discuss economic and social issues and to seek agreement on strategic policy approaches.

On what they do: "We support the government and the social partners to implement the ambitious social policy programme outlined in the new partnership agreement, 'Towards 2016'. 'Towards 2016' outlines new approaches to social policy for groups at different stages of life-cycle. The goal is to redesign welfare payments and to combine them with better services ranging from childcare, older care, education, training, and employment services; so that people can better participate in both the economy and society. This is a very ambitious programme and poses real challenges for government, public agencies and the social partners."

On the future: "NESC hopes to contribute to a better Ireland by building an economy that relies more on innovation to maintain competitiveness, and thereby avoids the negative effects of globalisation. We believe that the long-term strength of the Irish economy depends on more effective social policies and a better environmental performance. We believe that recognition of the close connection between the economy, the society and the environment is the major challenge between now and 2016.

"During 2007, NESC will produce Ireland's first periodic 'Social Report'. This report will provide an audit of social conditions in Ireland and analyse indicators of social progress."

On Ireland now: "Ireland has begun to make important and correct choices in investing in research, innovation and better social provision. However, we are discovering that to make these investments effective requires deep changes in systems of public provision and public policy. In particular, we face the challenge of placing the citizen at the centre of policy and making our services responsive to the varied needs of citizens. Although major progress has been made in some aspects of environmental protection, it is clear that we have a long way to go on other environmental issues, particularly air emissions, water quality and waste management."

Mark Keane Job: Director General at Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Budget: 167m Role: to invest in the best scientific minds to produce ideas and national and international partnerships, in academia and industry, that will create Ireland's future knowledge economy, specifically in the strategic areas of biotechnology and in information and communications technology (ICT).

On what they do: "We fund research that will inform ground-breaking ideas and the development of businesses of the future. For example, in nanoscience, it is clear that there will be a whole slew of new industries in materials, semiconductors, drug delivery and so on. At present, SFI funds research that is creating the tools for this future industry.

"No one ever conquered the world by being average. Our job is to develop a culture of excellence in third-level research that will spill over into the broader economy, making Ireland one of the most innovative countries in the world."

On the future: "In 2007, we hope to fund a large number of research clusters, which are academic-industry partnerships in focal areas. For example, depending on the outcome of the competition currently underway, these may be in areas like drug development, wireless technology, multimedia and so on.

"This will be our key contribution to the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation, the government's seven-year plan for research and development (R&D) . . .

2006 is the first full year of this seven-year plan that runs to 2013.

"This plan will create a generation of highly qualified people (ie, Phd students), doubling the current numbers emerging from the Irish third-level system. These PhD students will form the bedrock of Ireland's economic development."

On Ireland now: "The choices being made, at present, are hard ones but the right ones.

In the R&D space, the government is acting with some vision, in that it is looking to the long-term development of the country. These developments will lay the basis for Ireland's continuing prosperity beyond 2010."

Brendan Kennedy Job: Chief Executive of the Pensions Board Budget: 6m Role: to regulate pensions, to make people aware of their need to save when they retire and to give advice to the minister of social and family affairs On what they do: "We are the pensions people. We are the guardians of 80bn. We have the very important task of making sure people follow the rules and look after pension money responsibly and that people are putting enough away for their retirement.

"Pensions sound boring, but we will all be drawing pensions for 20 years, and how much you have saved will be hugely significant to the kind of life you can lead in retirement. It is slow to impact on pension behaviour, but pension coverage is creeping up. The most recent research shows that 62% of 30- to 65-year-olds have a pension.

That means that 900,000 people who are currently working will have nothing but social welfare payments to live on. We want 70% coverage."

On the future: "This year, the government is going to publish a green paper on pensions that will bring together all pension issues. It will set out policy options and will be a template for discussions. We are at a critical decision point for pensions in Ireland.

"We want everyone to be aware of the need to save for retirement. We want to make sure that the pension system is as userfriendly and as understandable as possible, and that people's money invested in pensions is as safe and secure as possible.

"We are doing our job if everyone is aware of what they were likely to need in retirement to be comfortable. We will never be totally redundant because there will always be a need for regulating pensions."

On Ireland now: "Ireland's workforce has doubled in 15 years. When people enter the workforce, you don't have a pension, but the proportion of people with pensions is increasing more than the workforce, 1.1m people have some kind of pension savings.

"The development of the green paper on pensions is a great development. I have a single wish for the New Year . . . that everyone would take 10 minutes to think about their pension. We have a website with a calculator so you can work out how much you need to save now so as to ensure you have enough when you retire . . . www. pensionsboard. ie."

Tom Boland Job: Chief Executive of Higher Education Authority (HEA) Budget: 1.3bn Role: to fund and regulate higher education and advise the government on developments in higher education On what they do: "We are advocates for higher education. We advocate to government and to society to invest in education and to individuals so that they understand why higher education is important to them. We advocate the benefits of higher education to society and the economy.

"A central component to our research programme is that there is research in higher education to enrich and inform learning and teaching.

"We are continuing to introduce a revised funding model, for example all higher-levels institutions will be required to meet certain objectives that go towards national targets such as improving access for underrepresented groups in higher education.

On the future: "Early this year, the minister will announce a new cycle for research which is aimed at improving capacity for all research across higher education.

"From February 2007, all higher education institutions will come under HEA, so the entire higher education sector will be funded by a single agency. Our future is heavily dependent on the quality of higher education. In order to create and sustain our knowledge economy, we need much higher levels of participation in higher education, we need more graduates, we need more research, we need to show we are among the best-performing societies and economies in the world. At the moment we have 55% participation in higher education, we want to get to 70%. That would bring us into the top 10 in the OECD. We can get there by 2016. At current growth rates, we will have a deficit of 100,000 graduates by 2010, so we need to ramp up our graduate numbers. We started late in developing our research system, so we are way behind the rest of the world. We want to double our numbers of PhD graduates by 2020."

On Ireland now: "In the last few years, the government has really shown its commitment to higher education in the investment it has been making. We are going in the right direction, but we must not get the sense that the job is done, we need to put more gizz into it. We need more investment, more undergraduates and graduates, we need more buildings and equipment. Overall, it's a good time to be in higher education, there is a good sense that we're pulling together, that there's a national endeavour to get up there among the best in the world."

Martin Higgins Job: Chief Executive of Safe Food Ireland Budget: 10m Role: to change behaviour, adopt food safety and adopt a healthy diet On what they do: "We promote food safety through raising awareness, changing behaviour and carrying out research. At the moment, we have a campaign on superfoods.

This is to show people how ordinary foods are full of nutrients. Most people don't need supplements. If they shop sensibly, they can get all their nutrients in functional foods like wholewheat bread, lean meat, peas, bananas.

Our job is to educate and empower consumers. There are the same food safety challenges in Ireland, north and south."

On the future: "Obesity is the biggest public-health challenge facing Ireland. We need 10 years to address it. It takes time to see the benefits of diet changes and exercise.

As an all-Ireland body, we are looking forward to a political settlement in Northern Ireland. There will always be a need for education and empowerment of consumers.

Issues such as BSE and avian flu show us that there are always new challenges. Food is a global issue which needs constant attention and regulation."

On Ireland now: "Part of the problem is that society has changed. There is a move towards convenience foods, which are very often processed food. Many of us have lost our cooking skills so we need education programmes encouraging healthy choices.

People need to be made aware of alternatives, they need to know that fresh food need not be expensive. There is a task force on obesity in the South and a Fit Futures policy in Northern Ireland. It's all very well developing strategies, but implementation is the key. For implementation to be effective, we need everyone to work together."

Caroline Spillane Job: Chief Executive of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency Budget: 8m Role: to reduce the numbers of crisis pregnancies On what they do: "More than one in 10 women in Ireland experience a crisis pregnancy in their lifetime. Our role is preventing crisis pregnancies and to support people who have a crisis pregnancy. We do this by through providing information, education and advice. We also refer women to counselling and medical services.

"We have doubled the amount of government-funded free crisis pregnancy services and we are now partnering with NUI Maynooth t o develop the first-ever accredited course in crisis pregnancy. We provide information through www. crisispregnancy. ie and www. positiveoptions. ie.

On the future: "In 2007, we are going to focus on the workplace. The workplace can be a critical place for women during a crisis pregnancy. We will work with unions, employers, partnership organisations, so work-places are more supportive of women who have a crisis pregnancy. We will work with others on developing a sexual health strategy. We don't have one at the moment and it's really important to have one.

"We really want to see comprehensive sex education for all people, not just for young people. Fifteen percent of 35-44 year olds don't use any contraception, even though they do not want to become pregnant.

Everyone knows you should use condoms, but 10% don't use contraception at all, so we need to change knowledge and behaviour.

"It is very important that young people are prepared, psychologically, emotionally and physically. This needs to happen in schools but also in the home. Parents have an important role to play.

"Only 29% ever received sex education from their parents, yet we know from research that if parents talk to their children about sex, young people will be sexually active later and have a healthier attitude to sex.

"We have a very poor network of contraceptive services in Ireland, so we have drafted a preliminary paper on how contraceptive services should be organised."

On Ireland now: "There needs to be a cultural shift about how we perceive pregnancy, we need to be more welcoming for women getting pregnant, we need a much more understanding approach to pregnancy. While many young people get good sex health education, some don't get any while others get poor quality. There needs to be much more support for teachers who give sexual health education. It needs to be valued in schools and supported by parents as it will positively impact on the rest of their lives."