Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

The following agencies operate under the aegis of my Department: Enterprise Ireland, Forfás, IDA Ireland, the National Standards Authority of Ireland, Shannon Development Company, county and city enterprise boards, InterTrade Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, the Competition Authority, the National Consumer Agency, the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority, the Health and Safety Authority and the Personal Injuries Assessment Board.

In general, these are statutory, non–commercial, State agencies and are for the most part reliant on Exchequer moneys to fund their activities. In some instances, the agencies generate own-resource income but this is used to defray operating expenses and so limit the requirement for Exchequer funds. The Personal Injuries Assessment Board, which is entirely self-funding, is not engaged in commercial activity designed to make profit.

The Special Report on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes, the McCarthy report, recommended the privatisation of the certification services of the NSAI. Having considered the recommendation in detail, it was not clear that any benefit would accrue to the taxpayer from such a move because of the high level of overhead costs that would remain with the NSAI following a sale of the certification business. The more likely result would be increased Exchequer cost. Accordingly, my Department has decided not to pursue this proposal at this time.

I do not believe that any of the agencies under the Department's remit are engaged in the provision of services that would be a suitable or attractive proposition for privatisation.

See this speech in context