Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide in tabular form the number of agencies, bodies, boards, quangos or other entities, which are financed from, answerable to or established by his Department that have been abolished, merged or re-organised since this Government took office; the savings that have been realised since the changes were made; the level of staff reduction that has been achieved; if he will provide details of further agency reductions that he intends to pursue in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57879/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group was established in 2010. Its role is to offer independent expert advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister of State for Trade and Development on the strategic direction of the aid programme. The administration of the Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group is serviced by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from the Department’s overall budget. The Group does not have any whole time equivalent staff. There are seven group members, including one Chairperson and one ex-officio member. The Development Education Advisory Committee has been in place since 2003. Its role is to offer policy advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister of State for Trade and Development on development education and on ways of increasing knowledge and understanding of development issues in Ireland. The administration of the Development Education Advisory Committee is serviced by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from the Department’s overall budget. The Group does not have any whole time equivalent staff. The committee is made up of nine members and a Chairperson.

The Development Education Advisory Committee was identified as a candidate body for critical review as part of the Government's Agency Rationalisation Programme under the Public Sector Reform Plan. The role of DEAC was reviewed in the context of the recent Review of the White Paper on Irish Aid. A decision on the Development Education Advisory Committee will be made when the outcome of the Review, a new policy on global development, is submitted for Government approval in the near future.