Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Question 268: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of quangos, quasi autonomous non-governmental organisations, which are funded partially or wholly, directly or indirectly, by his Department that have been abolished, merged, or reduced in scale since the formation of the Government; the amount that has been saved as a result and the number by which personnel numbers have been reduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29542/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Public Service Reform Plan, published in November 2011, outlines the Government's programme of public service reforms and improvements which are designed to deliver on the commitments made in the Programme for Government. The radical streamlining of 48 state bodies, a key element of the Plan, includes the merger of the Commission on Public Service Appointments into the Office of the Ombudsman, which falls under the remit of my Department. This merger is completed on an administrative basis and will be included in the new FOI Amendment Bill which the Government intends to introduce later this year.

As the merger is completed on an administrative basis, the potential savings from the measure would have been taken into account in the overall consideration of the 2012 Revised Estimates for the CPSA and the Office of the Ombudsman and was reflected in their respective allocations. Regarding the personnel numbers involved, the merger has lead to efficiencies through flexibility in the deployment of staff and the amalgamation of back office functions. The total numbers for both bodies is included in the table. It must be borne in the mind that the overall reduction in numbers may be due to a number of factors, including retirements, as well as the rationalisation measure.

On the wider issue of savings, I would make the point that while these reform measures will deliver savings to the taxpayer , the real benefits lie in the simplification of the administrative landscape, thereby ensuring greater democratic accountability, less duplication of effort and more transparent lines of responsibility of public servants. In addition to the specific rationalisation measures detailed in the Public Service Reform Plan, there is also the broader issue of fiscal consolidation that is required to bring the General Government deficit below 3% of GDP by 2015, as the Government is committed to doing. This level of consolidation requires all areas of government, including state bodies, regardless of whether they are highlighted for rationalisation or not, to reduce in scale.