Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of quangos that have bee abolished since 9 March 2011; the savings that have been achieved as a result; the number of quangos that still exist; the annual cost of same; if there are any more planned to be axed during the duration of the 31st Dáil; if so, the savings that will be achieved through this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5499/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The streamlining of State Bodies is a key deliverable of the Public Service Reform Plan. The Plan included 48 rationalisation measures to be implemented by the end of 2012, as well as a further 46 critical reviews to take place by the end of June 2012, details of which are set out in Appendices IIa and IIb of the Plan which can be found on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s website.

With regard to the 48 agency rationalisation measures outlined in Appendix IIa of the Public Service Reform Plan, significant progress has been made by the responsible parent Departments on the implementation of these measures. The latest position on these measures to reflect progress to end Q4 2012 is included in the table in Appendix 1. Further detail or queries on this progress should be sought from the relevant Minister.

As the Deputy will see from the table, the Commission on Public Service Appointments merger with the Ombudsman’s Office, both of which are under the aegis of my Department, was completed and is legislated for in the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012.

Other rationalisation measures may also have occurred outside or prior to the Public Service Reform Plan, these rationalisation measures are a matter for the individual Departments and should be directed to the relevant Ministers.

With regard to further rationalisation measures to be introduced, I refer the Deputy to my answer to PQ 2813/13 answered on Wednesday 23rd January, 2013, which outlines the results of the critical review process and further rationalisation measures to be implemented by end 2013.

Regarding savings, from the outset, I have maintained that the real benefit from the rationalisation of State Bodies will be a less crowded administrative landscape resulting in greater democratic accountability, less duplication of effort and clearer lines of responsibility for the citizen. This will be of real and lasting benefit to all citizens, regardless of any headline figure on savings.

Specifically, the Public Service Reform Plan aimed to secure €20 million in enhanced service efficiencies and value-for-money from the rationalisation programme. The bulk of the savings are derived from a reduction in the number of public servants working in the State Bodies affected. This rationalisation programme is just one of the reform measures announced in the PSR plan and the Programme for Government which facilitates the Government in ensuring delivery of critical services while still being able to reduce public service numbers.

There will of course be other cash savings realised over time as organisations, financial systems, office accommodation etc. are rationalised into leaner, more coherent structures. These savings, some of which will be once-off, will be factored into the overall budgetary framework as they arise.

With regard to the Deputy’s question regarding the number of State Bodies that still exist, as I have stated before in previous PQs, there are three broad categories of State Bodies.

Firstly, there are a number of Offices of State which typically are staffed by Civil Servants and have their own Vote for the allocation of public monies and which are within a Vote Group. A list of these bodies is set out in Appendix 2.

Secondly there are non-commercial State Bodies who are usually staffed by Public Servants and funded (or part funded) through a grant-in-aid from their parent Department. Details of such bodies are set out in the Detailed Expenditure Information on Non-Commercial State Agencies included in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2012, which can be found on my Department’s website at:

http://per.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/REV-2012-Final.pdf

Beyond that within each Department there are many other executive offices, divisions and directorates, operational or consultative groupings, task groups or forums that exist for various purposes that might or might not meet the definition of ‘entity’. Many of these groups are transient in nature in response to the needs and business pressures of particular Departments and sectors and details of which would not be held centrally. Questions on such bodies should be directed to the relevant Ministers. The internal organisation of my own Department is set out at Appendix 3.

Appendix 1 - 47 Measures to be implemented by end 2012 (Progress to end Q4 2012)

Bold text reflects those measures implemented fully

Appendix 2