Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of agencies, authorities, boards, committees, working groups, tribunals, council services, task forces, agencies or other quangos set up by his Department since February 2011; the number abolished since then; the extra cost of quangos which were established; the savings from the abolition of quangos; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37243/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

No new agencies have been established under the aegis of my Department since February, 2011.

- In June 2011, the functions of the National Educational Welfare Board transferred to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

- Since September 2011, the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) is within the remit of Dublin West Education Centre alongside the Department's largest support service, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST).

The establishment of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland which involves merger of the National Qualifications Authority, FETAC and HETAC.

Following the enactment of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012, the necessary steps are being taken to establish the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board. This body will be funded from the contributions of the religious congregations offered in response to the request for additional contributions, following the publication of the Ryan Report. The legislation also provides for the dissolution of the Education Finance Board, which has almost exhausted the €12.7 million available to it, and the transfer of any remaining functions of the Education Finance Board to the new Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of each quango in his Department; the amount expected to be saved from the mergers of quangos in his Department; the basis for this figure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37259/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department's officials clarified that the Deputy is referring to the bodies under the aegis of my Department. Attached please find a list of the Agencies under the remit of my Department. The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the cost of each agency is available in the published annual estimates for the Department. http://per.gov.ie/estpubexp2012/; in addition annual reports and accounts of these bodies are available on their websites.

The Deputy will be aware that there are a number of major structural reform projects that are being progressed in the Education sector. These are 1) Under the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012, the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), the Higher Education Training Awards Council (HETAC) and the Further Education Training Awards Council (FETAC) are currently being amalgamated into a new agency, the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland (QQAAI). It is intended to establish the new Authority and dissolve the NQAI, HETAC and FETAC during the Autumn. Major savings have already been achieved through the administrative preparations for amalgamation through non-replacement of staff retiring or leaving, the consolidation of the CEO role and streamlining of operations across the existing bodies. The 2012 current allocation for the bodies was €7.7 million, compared to an outturn of over €13 million in 2008. Staffing in NQAI, HETAC and FETAC has reduced from 110 to 80 over the same period. Further savings will be achieved in coming years.

2) The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology and Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences were merged in March 2012 to form the Irish Research Council (IRC). The IRC has been established as a sub-board of the HEA. The administrative costs of the Councils amounted to some €1.2m in 2011. As a result of the merger it is expected that a there will be a saving of some €100,000 in 2012.

3) My Department is currently engaged in implementing a government decision to reduce the overall number of VECs from 33 to 16 through the merger of particular counties. The full implementation of the decision is expected to result in annual savings to the Exchequer of the order of €2.1m. These will arise from reductions in staff numbers and potential economies of scale through development of shared services. While there may be scope, over time, to dispose of surplus property it is difficult, given the state of the property market, to estimate what could be raised for the Exchequer from property sales or surrender of leases.

List of Agencies