Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 100: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of new boards, agencies, bodies, commissions and offices which have been established in the past ten years and the number which have been abolished under the remit of his Department. [30500/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The number of new boards, agencies, bodies, commissions and offices, which have been established in the past 10 years under the remit of my Department is 22. The number of new boards, agencies, bodies, commissions and offices, which have been abolished in the past 10 years under the remit of my Department is 4.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 101: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of new boards, agencies, bodies, commissions and offices which have been established in the past ten years and the number which have been abolished under the remit of his Department. [30496/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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There are four agencies, bodies or committees which have been established by, or transferred to, my Department in the past ten years. There were five agencies, bodies or committees abolished by, or transferred from, my Department in the same period. Details of these organisations and the circumstances which brought about their establishment, abolition or transfer are outlined below.

New or Transferred Bodies. The Advisory Board for Irish Aid, which replaced the Irish Aid Advisory Committee (see section below), was established in August 2002 to provide general oversight and advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of State for Overseas Development on the strategic direction of the Government's programme of assistance to developing countries.

The Development Education Advisory Committee (DEAC) was appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2003 following the recommendations of the Ireland Aid Review Committee. Its purpose is to advise the Minister, Minister of State and Irish Aid on policy regarding development education.

The Díon Advisory Committee was set up in response to concern about the situation of Irish emigrants in Britain in 1984. The Committee advises the Government and makes recommendations on Emigrant Services funding to voluntary organisations that work with vulnerable Irish people resident in Britain. In February 2003, these responsibilities were transferred to the Department of Foreign Affairs from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

The Hunger Task Force was established in September 2007, in line with the recommendation of the White Paper on Irish Aid, to identify the contributions that Ireland can make to international efforts to reduce hunger. The Task Force has been appointed for a period of six months, after which it will present a final report to the Minister of State with responsibility for Overseas Development.

Bodies abolished, replaced or transferred. The Irish Aid Advisory Committee (IAAC) was in existence between 1993 and 2002. Its purpose was to provide advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the strategic direction of the Government's programme of assistance to developing countries. In 2002, as stated above, it was replaced by the Advisory Board for Irish Aid.

The National Committee for Development Education (NCDE) was established in 1994 to promote development education throughout all sectors. It was abolished at the end of December 2002 following the recommendations of the 2002 Ireland Aid Review Committee and was succeeded by the Development Education Advisory Committee.

The Agency for Personal Service Overseas (APSO) was established by the Government in March 1974 to promote and sponsor temporary service in the developing countries of the world. The activities of APSO were formally integrated into the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs on 1 January 2004.

The Irish Refugee Agency was created in 1991, under the aegis of the Department of Foreign Affairs, to assist with the integration of Vietnamese refugees in Ireland, and it subsequently assisted with Bosnian and Kosovar refugees. In 2001, following the recommendations in the report of the Interdepartmental Group on the Integration of Refugees in Ireland, the Government decided to replace the existing structures for dealing with refugees (including the Refugee Agency) with the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA), under the aegis of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

The Cultural Relations Committee (CRC) was established in 1949 under the aegis of the then Department of External Affairs, and was transferred from the Department of Foreign Affairs to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism in 2002. The role and function of the CRC was to advise the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the administration of the annual Grant-in-Aid voted by the Oireachtas for the development of cultural relations with other countries.