Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 19: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the recommendations of the general analysis and conclusions of the Cromien report 2000 by reference to specific paragraph numbers which have been accepted and implemented in full or in part; the way the decentralisation programme is impacting on the changes that are taking place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26063/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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In June 2001, the then Minister for Education and Science announced that the Government had approved a programme of structural reform of the Department arising from the recommendations in the Cromien report.

The programme consisted of:

i. The establishment of a State Examinations Commission (SEC) (para. 32).

ii. The establishment of a National Council for Special Education (NCSE) (para. 28).

iii. The establishment of a framework of regional offices of the Department (paras 49 to 52).

iv. Bringing forward legislation to extend the remit of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to the Institutes of Technology (para 37).

The SEC has operated from Athlone since its establishment in 2003. The NCSE was established in 2003 by statutory instrument and re-established by the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 (ESPEN). It is based in Trim, with a regionalised network of Special Educational Needs Organisers.

A network of 10 regional offices has been established, with offices located in Findlater Street, Dublin, Tallaght, Dublin, Naas, Mullingar, Limerick, Navan, Sligo, Waterford, Cork and Galway. As this network was in the process of development from 2005 to 2007, managing high staff turnover arising as a consequence of decentralisation during that period was challenging. Turnover in the regional offices is now at normal levels and a recurrence of high levels of turnover is not anticipated. The Directorate of Regional Services has recently decentralised from Dublin to Mullingar.

The Institutes of Technology Act 2006 extended the remit of the HEA to co-ordinate and fund the Institutes of Technology. Decentralisation does not impact on this arrangement.

In addition to the reforms approved by Government, my predecessors indicated throughout 2001 and 2002 that the reform of the Department would also include regulatory reform and appellate processes to under-pin key allocation functions, along with the implementation of efficiency measures designed to bring the Department's procedures and processes more into line with modern administrative practice. A range of measures have been introduced since 2001 — many of which are in line with recommendations in the Cromien report. Examples include:

Establishment of independent Appeals Boards in connection with teacher allocation.

Establishment of School Transport Appeals Boards.

Continuing implementation of EPSEN will provide a statutory appeal process. The Student Support Bill 2008, when enacted, will provide for an appeal process.

Responsibility for the operation of payrolls for schools was previously spread over several sections. My Department has since set up a Central Payroll Division, catering for approximately 70,000 school based employees, along with a web based on-line claims systems for primary and second level schools.