Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of bodies that have been abolished or amalgamated by his Department out of the list of bodies listed in the Public Service Reform document of 17 November 2011; the savings or cost of this in 2012; the projected savings or cost of this programme in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50538/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The information requested in the question is as follows:

The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2012, is a key enabler in my Department’s agency rationalisation programme, under which 21 agencies will be reduced to 10. The Local Government Management Services Board and the Local Government Computer Services Board have merged with the establishment of the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) in August 2012. The LGMA also takes on the residual functions from An Chomhairle Leabharlanna, which has been dissolved as of 1 November 2012. The Limerick Regeneration Agencies were dissolved on 31 July and their functions taken over by the Office for Regeneration which has been established in Limerick City. The Regeneration Office has been set up with administrative support from Limerick City Council and reports directly to the new City/County Manager. The abolition of the two regeneration agencies, when combined with the merger of the two Limerick local authorities, resulted in three county manager level posts being replaced by one - the new Limerick City and County manager. The Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency (HSCA) was established in August 2012. It rationalises the functions of the National Building Agency (NBA), the Affordable Homes Partnership (AHP) and the Centre for Housing Research (CHR). The AHP and the CHR have been closed down and the NBA ceased operating in June 2011. Comhar (Sustainable Development Council) was discontinued at the end of 2011 and its sustainable development role has been integrated into the work of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC). The Dormant Accounts Board will be dissolved by the end of 2012 when the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act, 2012 is commenced.

In addition to the bodies listed above, the operations of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) will be wound up by the end of 2013. The transitional period will allow the Authority to progress elements of on-going work and to make the necessary preparations for the migration to new arrangements, to be decided by the Government.

At the end of September 2012, the total staff number employed by State agencies under my Department’s aegis was 736.57 whole time equivalents (WTE), a reduction of 214.43 WTE ( 23 %) as compared to 951 at end 2008. The payroll savings associated with these staff reductions are estimated to be of the order of € 12.4m. The LGMA is financed by way of a levy on local authorities which reduced from €13.9m in 2008 to €11.37m in 2012, a reduction of €2.53m (18.2%). I expect that there will be a further reduction in 2013 in comparison to 2012.

The new library unit in the LGMA, to replace An Chomhairle Leabharlanna, will operate with five staff while An Chomhairle had an original staff complement of eighteen. In order to optimise the savings from the dissolution of An Chomhairle Leabharlanna it’s Dublin city-centre headquarter buildings have been transferred to the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency resulting in an annual saving of €150,000 in rental fees for the HSCA. The NBA headquarters was sold in March 2012 for €2.84 million.

The agency rationalisation/efficiency agenda will be kept under review, taking account of the Public Service Reform Plan, insofar as other agencies under my Department’s aegis are concerned.