Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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182. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of quangos operating under the aegis of her Department; the total number of directors sitting on their boards; the aggregate fees incurred by the State in paying the remuneration of directors of these quangos; the number of quangos that have been created since the formation of the Government; the number that have been disbanded over the period; the projected cost to the taxpayer of the establishment and operation of these new quangos; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49949/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I would like to inform the Deputy there are four agencies which are funded by the Exchequer through my Department's Vote. These are the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI); the Family Support Agency (FSA); the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) and the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO). With effect from 1 January 2012, I have taken responsibility for the Children Detention Schools as provided in Part 10 of the Children Act 2001. Apart from the Ombudsman for Children's Office which does not have a board, I am responsible for all board of management appointments. I can confirm that no new agencies under my remit have been created or disbanded since the formation of the Government.

As the Deputy may be aware, work is well underway on the establishment of the new Child and Family Agency (CFA). The CFA Bill has been published and this important piece of legislation provides for the subsuming of functions from three separate agencies; namely the HSE, and also the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board which both currently come under the remit of my Department.

It is my intention that the CFA will assume statutory responsibility for services for children and families in early 2014. Once legislation has been enacted, the agency will formally come under the remit of my Department. Pending the legal establishment of the CFA, the newly appointed board of the FSA will, in addition to its existing functions, provide oversight and direction to the organisational preparations which are underway for the CFA.

The CFA will involve bringing together 4,000 staff and a budget of over €500 million from three existing bodies. As the Deputy may appreciate, it is not possible to say at this stage what the establishment costs for the new agency will be.

There are currently 39 members (chairperson and ordinary board members) sitting on the boards of management. I have set out below in tabular format below, details of the current membership of the boards of management under the aegis of my Department and their respective annual remuneration.

National Educational Welfare Board

Children Detention Schools

Family Support Agency

Adoption Authority of Ireland