Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 193: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport the number of State agencies identified for abolition or merger in her Department; the number of agencies which have been merged or abolished to date in her Department; the total net savings which have been made in respect of each State agency arising from its merger or abolition in her Department; the likely date for merger or abolition and the reason for the delay in respect of each State agency which has not already been merged with another State agency or abolished in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3011/11]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The decision of the Government to combine the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Crawford Art Gallery and National Gallery of Ireland, while retaining their separate brand identities, was announced in Budget 2009 as part of an overall decision to rationalise agencies attached to several Government Departments. My immediate predecessor as Minister indicated subsequently to Dáil Éireann that it was his belief that IMMA and the National Gallery should remain stand-alone entities and that the Crawford Art Gallery could be amalgamated with the National Gallery of Ireland. The amalgamation of the support services of the Crawford Art Gallery and the National Gallery is being examined.

With regard to the merger of the Irish Manuscripts Commission and the National Archives into the National Library of Ireland, also announced in Budget 2009, the legislation that is required is being prepared. In this regard, Heads of a Bill have been drafted and transmitted to the Directors of the National Archives and of the National Library of Ireland and to the Chairman of the Irish Manuscripts Commission for their observations. It is intended that the outline legislation will also be examined by the National Archives Advisory Council when it is reconstituted.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 194: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of State agencies identified for abolition or merger in his Department; the number of agencies which have been merged or abolished to date in his Department; the total net savings which have been made in respect of each State agency arising from its merger or abolition in his Department; the likely date for merger or abolition and the reason for the delay in respect of each State agency which has not already been merged with another State agency or abolished in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3006/11]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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There are some 20 bodies under the aegis of my Department, mainly non-commercial, undertaking quasi-judicial/ regulatory, advisory and developmental functions. These bodies are of varying size, with some having a particular governing structure differing from the conventional Board structure of State agencies, for example the Building Regulations Advisory Board, Designated Appeals Advisory Board and Comhar. As part of the rationalisation programme, I have an active consolidation programme in train that is reducing the total number of State bodies within my Department's remit by six.

In May 2010, I established the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency (HSCA) on an administrative basis to rationalise the functions of the National Building Agency (NBA), the Affordable Homes Partnership (AHP) and the Centre for Housing Research (CHR). The AHP and the CHR have been closed down and the NBA is in the process of being wound down. The merging of the CHR and the AHP in 2010 and their amalgamation into a single Housing Agency (HSCA) has seen a reduction in state grants from €3.37 million in 2009, to €2.13 million in 2010 and €1.8 million for 2011.

The establishment of HSCA will result in the reduction of staff across the original three agencies. The NBA is engaged in the redeployment of staff, with 4 staff having already moved. Savings from this redeployment amount to approximately €300,000 in 2011. When the redeployment is completed annual savings should amount to approximately €2.2 million.

The administrative functions of the Rent Tribunal were transferred to the Private Residential Tenancies Board with effect from 1 October 2009. The savings are estimated as being between €70,000 and €100,000 in a full year.

The functions of the Fire Services Council are now subsumed into my Department, with some savings in running costs, since the term of office of its members expired on 30 June 2009. It is not intended to reappoint the Council.

The Limerick Northside and Southside Regeneration Agencies are already serviced by a single executive. In June 2010 the Government approved the formal merging of the Agencies and work is ongoing in preparing the necessary primary legislation. The Agencies have also been proactively reviewing and changing their consultative structures in preparation for the formal amalgamation with many of these new structures already in place. The Government decision to support the phase 1 implementation plans for Limerick Regeneration will result in the overall workload of the agency expanding, so freed up resources will be reassigned within these structures.

Under the National Recovery Plan 2011-14, ambitious targets for the reduction of staff numbers have now been set for the public sector. The associated Employment Control Framework caps total numbers employed in all agencies under the aegis of my Department. My Department will continue to work with all agencies under my remit to ensure that they are operating as efficiently as possible and complying with Government policy on public service finance and numbers.