Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 8, 10, 17, 22, 44 and 45 together.

The Deputies will be aware that, as part of a range of reforms agreed by the Government under the public service reform plan, it was decided that the existing National Archives of Ireland, NAI, governance model will be applied to the National Library of Ireland, NLI, and the National Museum of Ireland, NMI. The National Archives Advisory Council will be retained, with a reduced membership operating pro bono. A single statutory NLI and NMI advisory council will operate pro bono in place of the existing boards. Overall board membership will be reduced by approximately 60%. It is anticipated that this model will achieve significant savings and increase efficiencies across the institutions. The NAI will operate, as it does at present, with a statutorily independent director and a similar statutory model will be put in place for the directors of the NLI and the NMI. The Irish Manuscripts Commission will be brought within the administrative ambit of the NLI.

The reform measures being undertaken by my Department with regard to the NLI and NMI will not remove the autonomy and independence of the two bodies. While it is proposed under the measures approved by the Government to replace the existing boards with an independent advisory council, the autonomy and independence of the directors of the institutions will be given a clear statutory underpinning. While there will be a pragmatic sharing of services, organisationally the NMI, the NLI and the proposed advisory council will not be within my Department. It is envisaged that the advisory council will have no role in relation to the day-to-day management of the two bodies but will specialise in fund-raising, fostering philanthropic relations and donations and providing advice to the Minister, including in relation to genealogy if considered appropriate. The advisory council will be appointed by me under statute. As I have said, the proposed model is similar to that already in place in the National Archives, the success of which has been widely recognised in this House and further afield.

I have already advised the House of the robust shared services model that will be deployed across the three institutions, through my Department in the case of corporate support services and by formal inter-institutional agreement in the case of operational services. Regular meetings have been taking place between my Department and the directors and staff of the relevant institutions in respect of these matters. Options relating to shared human resources, information technology and financial services are being examined at present. It is proposed that a number of measures will be implemented on an administrative basis, pending the enactment of enabling legislation. The institutions are developing the requisite agreement with regard to shared operational services. Significant progress is being made on the draft legislation required to bring the new arrangements into being. I anticipate I will be in a position to seek Government approval for the heads of a Bill in the near future.

The Deputies will be aware that overall savings of €20 million in enhanced service efficiencies and value for money were targeted in the public service reform plan. In that context, it is expected that savings of approximately €1 million will be made initially across the institutions involved in the reform programme which are funded from my Department's Vote group, with further savings to be identified as the various cost-saving measures are implemented. However, the real benefit from the rationalisation of State agencies will be a less crowded administrative landscape. This will result in greater democratic accountability, less duplication of effort and clearer lines of responsibility for the citizen. Finally, I should clarify that the report commissioned by IMPACT related to an assessment of an earlier proposal to merge the National Archives of Ireland into the National Library of Ireland. Such a merger is no longer proposed.

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