Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 181: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of bodies and agencies under her aegis; and her proposals for the rationalisation of same. [8195/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The following is a list of Bodies or Agencies which come under my Department's remit:

1. Patents Office

2. Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement

3. Companies Registration Office (CRO)

4. Registry of Friendly Societies (RFS)

5. National Employment Rights Authority (NERA)

6. Labour Court

7. Employment Appeals Tribunal

8. Labour Relations Commission

9. Personal Injuries Assessment Board (trading as InjuriesBoard.ie)

10. FÁS

11. Forfás

12. Science Foundation Ireland

13. IDA

14. Enterprise Ireland

15. Shannon Development

16. InterTradeIreland

17. National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI)

18. County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs)

19. Health and Safety Authority

20. Irish Auditing & Accounting Supervisory Authority

21. The National Consumer Agency (NCA)

22. The Competition Authority In terms of the rationalisation of the Offices and Agencies under the aegis of my Department the following is the position:

· Work is continuing in my Department on the preparation of Heads of a Bill to provide for, inter alia, the merger of the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency. My intention is to bring proposals to Government shortly and to publish the legislation during the course of 2010. · The Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes recommended the formal merger of the Companies Registration Office (CRO) and the Registry of Friendly Societies (RFS) and this recommendation is under consideration by Government. Similarly, the Group called for a streamlining of the policy framework for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) including a rationalisation of the number of bodies delivering STI and this issue is currently being considered by the Interdepartmental Committee on STI.

Finally, my Department is examining proposals made by the Special Group for the rationalisation of some services provided by my Department's agencies.