Written answers

Wednesday, 8 February 2006

Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

Agency Governance Structures

10:00 pm

Photo of John GormleyJohn Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on the recent report carried out on the governance of agencies by the Institute of Public Administration, which criticises the existence of duplicate function agencies and found that his Department is likely to have agencies of this type. [4345/06]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The report in question was completed by the Committee for Public Management Research, CPMR, and published by the Institute of Public Administration. The report deals with the general issue of "agencies" or organisations which have been set up, usually through legislation, to carry out public governance functions on behalf of, for example, Departments. Of the 601 agencies identified in the report, 307 are described as "duplicate function agencies", that is, the same function is carried out by a number of similar agencies in different locations, for example, county councils, county development boards, regional tourism authorities. Other examples include Leader and partnership companies.

I am not sure that it is accurate to say, as the Deputy seems to suggest, that the report criticises the existence of duplicate functions. It is not recommended, for example, that we should have a fewer number of county councils. The report does, however, makes recommendations on how agencies in general should be set up, resourced and monitored, how performance is to be managed and on how the links between agencies and their parent Departments should operate. We support fully the principles underlying these recommendations and our governance and management practices are, at least, equivalent in effect to what the committee is recommending.

In this regard, the Deputy might note that my Department was established in 2002 with the key aim of ensuring a more co-ordinated engagement by the State with communities around the country as they pursue their own development. The Deputy will be aware that a review process to secure the most positive impacts for communities from expenditure through programmes in this area is ongoing and the guiding principles-terms of reference for this review are: improving on the ground services, supports and impacts on local communities from within existing levels of resources; streamlining and rationalising structures in order to avoid overlaps, duplication and undue administrative overheads; bringing transparency, co-ordination and improved control to the funding and operation of local-community development measures; and strengthening the democratic accountability of agencies and service providers in this area.

Arising from the review, the Government agreed a range of measures designed, inter alia, to improve arrangements under which community and local development initiatives are delivered and enable communities to more readily access and make maximum use of the funding available. In line with that decision, local and community development agencies were requested to advance improvements in linkages, cohesion and sharing resources. City and county development boards were given the role of co-ordinating the cohesion process. Cohesion funding of €3,248,600 was allocated during 2004 to support specific measures arising from that process. These were mainly focused on improving current arrangements with regard to resources, staffing and geographic coverage.

Last year, I announced a €7 million cohesion funding package over 2005-2006 aimed at achieving the alignment of Leader and partnership groups, including community partnerships, in order that local and rural development programmes are delivered by one body in each area. Allocations in 2005 amounted to approximately €3.4 million and I expect to announce further allocations shortly.

In addition, following an independent review of Area Development Management Limited, carried out within the framework of the review, the company has been restructured in order to secure improved accountability and strengthen the relationship between the organisation and Government. The company name has also been changed to Pobal, which more appropriately reflects its role in the delivery of programmes on behalf of Government, for the benefit of communities.

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