Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

In the wider scheme all I can do is work with the budget I have this year. None of us knows where we will be until the Estimates process is completed at the end of the year. We are living at a time when money is short and all of us have been told by the Opposition many times that we should do all in our power to reduce overheads. The Minister of State and I are trying to ensure that the bulk of the savings are made in administration. As the Deputy knows there has been a severe cut in Pobal, as well as in the partnerships. There were two cuts, one earlier in the year as well as a subsequent cut following the supplementary budget.

They are not disproportionate to the cuts across the system but they have been made and we must find out how the frontline service may best be delivered to the recipient, as efficiently as possible, while making our savings in the overheads. However, making savings in overheads includes people, and that cannot be avoided. We are being told all the time to cut down on public expenditure. As soon as we do so it affects somebody and we are then told not to do it again.

The Deputy is right regarding the position of MFG. Údarás na Gaeltachta is unique in that it is an elected authority for the Gaeltacht with a wide socio-economic and linguistic remit. It develops small and larger industries and so on. I cannot justify two similar bodies operating in the Gaeltacht with fairly similar remits. On that basis it is my intention to transfer the contracts MFG now has, as they come to termination, to Údarás. However, I want to do this in an ordered fashion and deal with the human resources issues in a sensitive and understanding manner. For that to happen I need MFG and Údarás, which has been very co-operative in this, to co-operate with my Department. I met the two boards - MFG and Údarás. When I met the board of MFG with the board of Údarás I found that there was joint membership of both boards in a number of cases. On that basis one would not have thought it should be difficult to get synergies between the two bodies - with four members on both boards as well as the fact that one of the Údarás employees is on the board of MFG. That effectively makes five with a type of common membership.

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