Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 353: To ask the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of agencies, authorities and other bodies coming within her Department's remit that operate independent payroll systems and the reason such a function could not be provided by her Department. [6796/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The following statutory agencies that are under my Department's remit at present operate independent payroll systems: - Údarás na Gaeltachta; - Waterways Ireland; - An Foras Teanga; and - The Western Development Commission.

As the Deputy will be aware, on foot of the restructuring of Government Departments announced by the Taoiseach last month, the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs is in the process of being abolished, with its functions being redistributed to several other Departments.

The question of whether the payroll systems for these agencies could be provided centrally will, therefore, be a matter for the Departments receiving the relevant functions to consider. For the sake of completeness, I should add that bodies within my Department's ambit that have been operating their payroll systems within 'shared services' arrangements in the recent past include the Commissioners of Charitable Donations and Bequests, An Coimisinéir Teanga, the Equality Authority and the Equality Tribunal. In addition, my own Department's payroll has been operating from the Department of Finance shared service centre in Tullamore.