Written answers
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Department of Agriculture and Food
Departmental Expenditure
10:00 am
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 548: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the elements of the report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes that have been implemented to date by his Department; his plans to implement any aspects of the plan in the future; if the overall plan has been assessed by his Department; and if so, his views on the benefits of the plans. [28107/10]
Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The position in relation to the implementation of the main recommendations of the Special Group on Public Numbers and Expenditure Programmes is set out in the following table:
| Main recommendations | Current position |
| Terminate Suckler Cow Scheme | The rate of payment under the Scheme was reduced form €80 to €40 per eligible animal in the 2009 Budget in October 2008. |
| Close REPS 4 and no rollover of participants from REPS 2 & 3 into REPS 4 | REPS 4 was closed to new applicants on July 2009. |
| Reduce the annual expenditure on the Disadvantaged Area Compensatory Allowance Scheme by 30% | Expenditure was reduced by 14% or €35m in the 2009 Budget in October 2008 |
| Reduce staff numbers and implement efficiency savings in the Department and State bodies under the Department's aegis | The Administrative Budget for the Department of €257 million in 2010 represents a reduction of €46 million in administration costs compared to 2008 and includes reductions in salary, overtime and travel costs due to a) lower staff numbers, reduced overtime and travel allocations, b) improved efficiencies and c) the ongoing rationalisation of the Department's local office network, which had been decided prior to publication of the Report of the Special Group.Reductions of the Grants-in-Aid to the State bodies under the aegis of the Department include €25 million cuts compared to 2008 in funding for administration and operating costs due to reductions in staff numbers and improved efficiencies. |
The Vote for the Department has been reduced from a gross outturn of €2.104 billion in 2008 to €1.758 billion in 2010, a reduction of €346 million. The lower 2010 budget provision reflects a combination of factors including lower administration costs, the closure of certain schemes to new applicants, the introduction of lower payment rates, lower levels of funding to discharge outstanding liabilities under existing schemes and lower provision for once-off items such as the cost of the pigmeat recall measures. Staff salaries has fallen from €233 million in 2008 to €197 million (estimated) in 2010. Staffing levels are projected to fall from 4,800 in 2004 to 3,717 by the end of 2010. The reduction arises from a combination of circumstances (moratorium on recruitment, the Incentivised Scheme of Early Retirement and redeployment to other Departments).
The Department keeps all elements of expenditure under close review, including consideration of the recommendations of the report by the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes. Future funding for schemes and services, as well as the Administrative Budget for the Department, will be decided in the context of the preparation of the annual Estimate on an on-going basis.
* This excludes budget totalling €26.476 million for the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund, responsibility for which was transferred to the Department in May 2010.
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