Written answers
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Department of Finance
State Agencies
10:00 pm
Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 92: To ask the Minister for Finance the rationalisation of State agencies that has taken place since 1 January 2009, either arising from the recommendations of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes, or otherwise; the savings that have been achieved as a result; the further rationalisations that have been decided on; the savings expected from these; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27092/10]
Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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In Budget 2009, I announced 30 agency rationalisation measures involving a reduction of 41 bodies and the streamlining of certain other functions. To date, 16 agency rationalisations have been completed and information on these proposals, including estimated savings in terms of expenditure and staff reductions, is set out in Appendix 1 below.
Information on a range of other agency rationalisations is set out in Appendix 2. In summary, 7 measures have target completion dates in 2010, while two measures have target completion dates in 2011; and progress is also being pursued in respect of five other measures. The Deputy will note that some of the measures marked down for completion in 2010 and 2011 have already been partially implemented. As regards projected savings, the experience to date is that it is often difficult to make definitive savings projections when the functions of agencies and bodies are being transferred or consolidated. Such matters only tend to become clear at, or shortly after, the commencement of the implementation phase.
In addition to the general round of agency rationalisation referred to above, there have also been a number of other developments. These include: a) the rationalisation of functions of the Affordable Homes Partnership, National Building Agency and the Centre for Housing Research, together with certain functions of the Homeless Agency; b) the absorption by the National Economic and Social Council of the National Economic and Social Forum and the National Centre for Partnership and Productivity; and c) (i) the transfer of functions and resources of the Advisory Council for English Language Schools in Ireland (ACELS) to the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI); (ii) the transfer of the functions and resources of the International Education Board Ireland (IEBI) to Enterprise Ireland and the Higher Education Authority (HEA); and (iii) the decision by the Government that the National University of Ireland (NUI) would be dissolved and that the legislation amalgamating the NQAI, HETAC and FETAC will contain the provisions required to dissolve NUI.
Finally, the question of further agency rationalisation, which would take the recommendations of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes into account, is under active consideration in the context of preparations for the 2011 Estimates.
Appendix 1
| Completed Rationalisations – No. refers to the number of the proposal in the Budget measures. | Savings 2009 (estimated figures in advance of outturns) | Savings 2010 | Long-term Savings on an annual basis – after bedding down | Max. Staff Nos (2006-09) WTE | Current Staff delivering services (end-09) WTE | Staff Reduction WTE | |
| 1 | 2. Abolition of the National Crime Council. The 2009 allocation was €0.5m. It was serviced by Departmental staff resources that are now available for other work. | €0.392 | €0.394m | €0.394m | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 2 | 3. Amalgamation of the Censorship of Publications Board & its Appeals Board with the Office for Film Classification – no saving included as this was an efficiency/effectiveness measure to ensure the ongoing existence of the function for when/if it is required in the future. The Irish Film Classification Office has a 2009 allocation of €1.3m, down from €1.4m in 2008. | - | - | - | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 3 | 4. Cease funding of the National Consultative Committee on Racism & Interculturalism. 2008 outturn was €0.5m. | €0.628m | €0.628m | €0.628m | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 4 | 6. Merger of the Rent Tribunal and the Private Residential Tenancies Board completed on an administrative basis. The Rent Tribunal received €42,000 in 2008 and had an allocation of €37,000 in 2009. The PRTB will be self-financing from 2010 on. It received €3.8m in 2008 and had an allocation of €1.0m in 2009. The savings refer to the internal running costs of the merged agency which will not receive any Exchequer support in 2010. | 0 | €0.07m | €0.1m | 41.43 | 40 | 1.43 |
| 5 | 8. Abolition of the Education Disadvantage Committee – the EDC received €0.1m in 2008 | €0.1m | €0.1m | €0.1m(comparator – 2008 allocation) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 6 | 9. Formal disbandment of the National Adult Learning Council – it received €50,000 in 2008 | €0.05m | €0.05m | €0.05m(comparator – 2008 allocation) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 7 | 10. Closure of the Centre for Early Childhood Development & Education - the 2008 allocation was €1.2m. Following its closure in November 2008, DES continued to provide €0.4m towards early childhood | €0.83m | €0.83m | €0.83m | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | 12. Merge COFORD into D/AF&F. COFORD had a 2008 outturn of €4.3m and a 2009 outturn of €4.3m. | - | €0.182m | €0.182m | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 9 | 13. Transfer of Bord Iascaigh Mhara marketing functions to An Bord Bia (2009 allocation of €17.2m current). This involved the transfer of 8 posts. 6 staff have transferred, a bereavement and the ISER have reduced this to 4. Savings to the running costs were a secondary consideration to the aim of creating a better integrated food marketing function, which has been delivered. | - | €0.12m | €0.12m | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| 10 | 16. The National Council on Ageing & Older People has been subsumed into the Office for Older People in the Department of Health & Children – when the merger is fully bedded down, D/H&C will be delivering this function within existing resources. 2007 outturn was €1.56m and original 2008 REV allocation was €1.82m | €0.4m | €0.4m | €1.26m (comparator - original 2008 REV allocation) | 17 | 7 | 10 |
| 11 | 18. The Women's Health Council has been subsumed into the Department of Health & Children – when the merger is fully bedded down, D/H&C will be delivering this function within existing resources. 2008 outturn was €0.66m and original 2009 REV allocation was €0.64m | €0.013m | €0.126m | €0.155m (comparator - 2008 REV allocation) | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 12 | 21. The Postgraduate Medical & Dental Board has been merged into the Dental Council. The Medical Council & the HSE. 2008 outturn was €10.36m, most its budget was transferred to the HSE. | - | €0.455m | €0.455m | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 13 | 27. Culture Ireland was not established as a statutory body and remains a division of the Department. The original plans contained a projection of 12 posts versus the 6 now in place in the Department. The estimated saving is based on average employee costs in the public service, no saving has been included for the additional costs of a stand alone entity (premises, IT, etc) | €0.3m | €0.3m | €0.3m | 12 | 6 | 6 |
| 14 | 28. Closure & transfer of 4 military barracks has been completed. Although the closure of St. Bricins Hospital has not yet happened, this is included in the list of completion because the bulk of the proposal has been implemented. Information on the running costs of the relevant barracks would have to be sought from the Dept. of Defence. | €0.833m(D/Def. projects €2.5m savings between 2009-2011. One third allocated to 2009) | €0.833m(see note in column for 2009) | €2.5m (from 2012 on) | 20(civilian workers) | 8(relocated to other barracks) | 12 |
| 15 | 29. Integration of the Combat Poverty Agency and the Office of Social Inclusion in the Department of Social & Family Affairs. 2008 outturn was €4.1m and the 2009 allocation was €4.09m. | €0.4m | €2.4m | €2.7m | 25.4 | 14 | 11.4 |
| 16 | 30. Assign MABS to the Citizens Information Board (CIB). The merger was pursued in the interests of efficiency, effectiveness and service delivery. MABS received €17.9m in 2009. The CIB, which has about 88 staff, has an Exchequer allocation of €28.1m in 2009. | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a as the staff of MABs were not public servants | n/a | n/a |
| Total Savings | €3.946m | €6.888m | €9.774m | 148.83 | 94 | 54.83 |
Appendix 2
Information on the outstanding Agency Rationalisation Decisions in Budget 2009
| Department of: | Agencies/Bodies | Date of Completion | Status of Legislation |
| EH&LG | 1. Local Government Management Services Board2. Local Government Computer Services Board | 2010 | Heads of Bill to Government in 2010 |
| CE&NR | 1. Central Fisheries Board2. Regional Fisheries Boards | 2010 – 1 July is the establishment day for the Inland Fisheries Authority | Legislation passed & enacted |
| Transport | 1. Air Accident Investigation Unit (in Department of Transport)2. Railway Accident Investigation Unit (in Railway Safety Commission)3. Marine Casualty Investigation Board | 2010 | Preparatory work on enabling legislation commenced within the Department |
| Transport | 1. Dublin Transport Authority2. Dublin Transport Office3. Commission for Taxi Regulation4. Public Transport Licensing function of Department of Transport | 2009 – renamed National Transport Authority200920102010 – Bus route licensing function | Public Transport Regulation Act 2009 (No.37 of 2009) |
| H&C | Children Acts Advisory Board | 2010 | Bill completed Report Stage in Seanad Éireann on 6th May 2010. |
| H&C | 1. National Social Work Qualifications Board2. Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council3. Opticians Board | 2010 | Health & Social Care Professionals Act 2005Requires separate Bill – expected to have legislation by 4th quarter 2010. |
| H&C | National Council for the Development of Nursing & Midwifery | 2010 | The Nurses & Midwives Bill was published on 22nd April 2010. |
| E&S | 1. National Qualifications Authority of Ireland2. Higher Education & Training Awards Council3. Further Education & Training Awards Council | 2011 | Bill with Parliamentary Draftsman; hope to publish before summer recess |
| H&C | 1. National Cancer Screening Service2. National Cancer Registry Board3. Crisis Pregnancy Agency4. Drug Treatment Centre | Completed - 20102011Completed - 20102011 | Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009Expected that Health Information Bill will be published in Autumn 2010Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009Legal issues have arisen in respect of the part ownership by a charitable trust of the Trinity Court premises and their explicit role in the day-to-day management of the Centre. |
| JE&LR | 1. Equality Authority2. Human Rights Commission | JE&LR report that it is implementing the recommendations in the context of securing economies by greater co-operation between the Department and its agencies generally; not solely by focusing on bilateral arrangements between the two NCSSBs | None |
| ET&E | 1. National Consumer Agency2. Competition Authority | No target date | Department expects to submit Heads of Bill to Government in 2010 |
| TCS | 1. National Archives2. Irish Manuscripts Commission | No target date | Draft Bill circulated to the bodies concerned for their observations |
| TCS | 1. Irish Museum of Modern Art2. Crawford Art Gallery3. National Gallery of Ireland | The issue of leaving IMMA as an independent body is under active consideration. | |
| H&C | 1. Food Safety Authority of Ireland2. Irish Medicines Board3. Office of Tobacco Control | The Minister for Finance has agreed to the retention of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and the Irish Medicines Board as standalone agencies.The Office of the Tobacco Control will be merged into the HSE – legislation will be required and it is intended to complete as soon as possible. |
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