Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the proposals which have been put forward under the efficiency review 2008 initiated on budget day 2008 by her Department and agencies operating under her Department; and the aggregate savings to be made by implementation of these savings in 2008 and in the full year for 2009. [26492/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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In the context of the Efficiency Review announced by the then Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Mr. Brian Cowen,T.D. in his 2008 Budget Speech, my Department has been examining various areas where potential savings and efficiencies can be achieved.

In relation to Bodies under the aegis of my Department the position is that agencies (other than the HSE and HIQA) are predominantly small in terms of organisational size and expenditure, and a number are self-funding.

A comprehensive independent review of health organisations (Audit of Structures and Functions in the Health System) was published in 2003. Considerable rationalisation has already taken place under the 2004 and 2007 Health Acts, and other changes are already planned, as follows:

The National Cancer Screening Service Board and the National Cancer Registry are to be subsumed into the HSE as part of the Cancer Control Programme;

The National Council for the Ageing and older People is to be mainstreamed into the newly-established Office for Older People;

the Medical Practitioners' Act 2007, provides for the dissolution of the Post Graduate Medical & Dental Board and the streamlining of the Board's functions to the HSE, Medical/Dental Councils, as appropriate;

the functions of the National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery are to be subsumed by An Bord Altranais and the HSE once the proposed new Nursing and Midwifery Bill is passed; and

the National Social Work Qualification Board is due to be streamlined into the National Council for Health and Social Care Professions in the next year or so.

The potential for further streamlining and/or rationalisation is being considered in the context of the Efficiency Review referred to above, and will also arise in the context of our response to the OECD Review of the Irish Public Service ("Toward an Integrated Public Service"), which was recently published.

Efficiencies are already being implemented by agencies within the health sector in the areas of procurement, business processes, and outsourcing. Additional benefits might also accrue from sharing of functions, and my Department is considering how the necessary co-ordination might be applied to allow such possibilities to be exploited.

Within my Department we have identified the following as having the potential to deliver further savings and/or efficiencies:

an increased use of on-line, rather than hard-copy (paper) publishing;

in collaboration with the Office of Public Works, we are participating in the Staff Energy Awareness Campaign (Optimising Power @ Work) which has a target to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions by a minimum of 15% per annum;

we have reduced the hours during which Hawkins House is open over weekends, thus reducing staff costs;

we are examining how we might reduce the levels of absenteeism among our staff,and will proactively manage this area;

we will review our postal and telecommunications spend to obtain the best possible deal for our mobile and other phone and telecoms services;

My Department is also examining potential savings through increased use of collective or shared procurement arrangements from shared finance, payroll, ICT and some HR arrangements, but it is likely that these would require central direction and co-ordination if they are to be applied across Departments.