Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 239: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of quangos, agencies and authorities that were established by his Department in each of the years 1997 to January 2011; the number of staff employed by his Department in 1997; the number of staff employed by his Department in January 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22579/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Set out below is the information requested by the Deputy with regard to new agencies created since 1997 to date: An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta agus Gaelscoilaíochta - COGG (established 1999) Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse - CICA (established 1999) Education Finance Board - EFB (established 2006) Further Education & Training Awards Council - FETAC (established 2001) Grangegorman Development Agency - GDA (established 2006) Higher Education and Training Awards Council - HETAC (established 2001) Irish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technology - IRCSET (established 2001) Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences - IRCHSS (established 1998) National Centre for Technology in Education - NCTE (established 1998) National Council for Special Education - NCSE (established 2003) National Educational Welfare Board - NEWB (established 2002) National Qualifications Authority of Ireland - NQAI (established 2001) Residential Institution Redress Board - RIRB (established 2002) Residential Institution Review Committee - RIRC (established 2002) State Examinations Commission - SEC (established 2003) The Teaching Council (established 2006) The Centre for Early Childhood Development & Education - CECDE (established 2002)

The Deputy may wish to note that the NEWB is now under the aegis of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs while the CECDE ceased operations in 2008 while responsibility for Skillnets Ltd, which was established in 1999, transferred from the then Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment to my Department in May 2010. In addition work is ongoing in my Department with regard to the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill which provides for the amalgamation of the NQAI, HETAC and FETAC, a commitment in the Programme for Government. The new body is to be known as the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland (QQAAI).

In relation to the number of staff employed by my Department I can confirm that the figure as of 1st January 2011 was 1,270 compared to 885 in December 1997 - both Whole time Equivalent (WTE) figures. A significant factor in the increase in figures has been the expansion of the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).