Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 411: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action he has taken to date to fulfil the commitment in the programme for Government to make substantial cuts to the number of State bodies and companies; the number of such bodies and companies under his remit; the number that have been reformed, merged or abolished since March of this year; the plan in place within his Department to fully deliver on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32844/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The State bodies that come within the aegis of my Department are:

· Aquaculture Licensing Appeals Board (ALAB)

· Bord Bia

· Bord Iascaigh Mhara

· Bord na gCon

· Coillte Teoranta

· Horse Racing Ireland

· Irish National Stud

· National Milk Agency

· Marine Institute

· Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA)

· Teagasc

· Veterinary Council of Ireland

The changes implemented by three of these agencies are outlined below:

Board Iascaigh Mhara

In response to the McCarthy Report, which identified a €7.3m saving to the State through the abolition of BIM in its current form, the Agency finalised a documented proposal "Transforming an Bord lascaigh Mhara and Delivering on the Potential of Irish Seafood". This plan documented a number of cost saving measures to match the €7.3m outlined in the McCarthy report without the negative impact on the seafood sector. These initiatives included organisational change, a reduction in contractors, consultancies and overheads and a reduction in staff levels. In line with these actions BIM's budget has reduced from €40.8m in 2009 to €16.7m in 2011.

BIM has also delivered on the Governments plans for the rationalisation through the transfer of its seafood marketing and promotion functions to Bord Bia. This has ensured the strengthening of seafood marketing as part of a more cohesive overall food marketing effort, while allowing BIM to focus all its energies in developing the seafood industry in line with the Cawley Strategy - Steering A New Course.

Aquaculture Licenses Appeals Board

The Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board formerly employed a Technical Advisor whose contract expired on 04 August 2008 and was not renewed. The administrative function of the ALAB Board has been subsumed into the Agriculture Appeals Office, allowing a former full-time secretary to be redeployed within the Department.

Teagasc is implementing a major 'Change Programme' 2009-2013 to achieve greater efficiencies in all aspects of their business and address the need for significant resource rationalization. A continued emphasis is placed on the potential to achieve greater efficiencies in the delivery of programmes, services and activities. The main achievements to date include the closure of 23 local advisory offices, some 300 staff reductions, annual payroll savings of €16m and exchequer grant in aid savings of €8m. A voluntary early retirement/redundancy programme (VER) was introduced in September to achieve additional staff savings in non-essential support areas such as administration, support staff etc by year end. A comprehensive Staffing and Efficiency Plan has also been prepared to prioritise the allocation of resources, ensure staff are deployed in areas of greatest service need and minimise the impact on frontline services.

At present, there are no plans to merge or abolish the other agencies listed.