Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 46: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to implement the recommendations of an bord snip nua. [15595/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes was published in July 2009 and, since then, my Department's expenditure provisions, as set out in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2010 and 2011 published by the Minister for Finance, have been guided by the Report.

My Department, local authorities and related agencies are working to maximise outputs from the 2011 provisions through prioritisation, increased efficiency and lower procurement costs generally. Recommendations in the Report relating to my Department are reflected, inter alia, in savings in administrative costs arising from reductions in public service numbers and pay; the reduced Exchequer contribution to the Local Government Fund; review of the EPA; ongoing rationalisation of agencies in the housing and other areas; and more extensive use of leasing to ensure overall housing output is maintained at the highest level possible.

The Report of the Special Group will continue to be taken into account in the development of policy and the management of programmes by my Department, including in the contexts of the expenditure review processes now underway across Departments generally. Consistent with the approach of the Special Group, the Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group contains recommendations for efficiency and other savings to be attained in the local government sector in the short, medium and longer terms. A range of work is already underway or in planning arising from the Report and I am considering the revenue raising and other recommendations that require enabling legislation. I have recently established an Implementation Group to drive forward relevant recommendations of the Report in areas such as shared services, procurement, value for money and audit. I have asked the Group to focus on key recommendations that will remove costs and yield the earliest financial savings for the benefit of the sector and the economy.