Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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158. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of quangos, State agencies or organisations under the remit of her Department that have been merged, reformed or abolished since 2011; the details of each of these measures in tabular form; the cost saving or service delivery improvement which has resulted; how many more she expects to be merged, reformed or abolished and the timeline for same; if she will provide a full list of all agencies and organisations under her remit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1983/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Board, the Pensions Ombudsman and the Social Welfare Tribunal. None of the bodies under the aegis of the Department have been merged, reformed or abolished since 2011.

The Public Service Reform Programme provided for a critical review of the integration of the regulatory functions of the Pensions Board with the Financial Regulator, and the merging of the Pensions Ombudsman with the Financial Services Ombudsman. The recommendations arising out of the Critical Review on the Pensions Board were approved by Government in April 2013 and were provided for in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2013. It was recommended that the governance structure of the Pensions Board be restructured with two distinct arms as follows:

- Oversight of the Pensions Board will be undertaken by a three person body called the Pensions Authority. This will consist of a Chairperson, and two officials from the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Finance.

- A separate unpaid Pensions Council, with a majority of members representing consumer interests, will be established to advise me on pensions policy.

I expect to appoint the Chairperson of the Pensions Authority shortly. I also intend to call for expressions of interest for the appointment to the Pensions Council, through the Public Appointments Service (PAS).

The Report of the Critical Review also recommended that the office of the Pensions Ombudsman be merged with the Financial Services Ombudsman and arrangements in relation to the implementation of this recommendation are under active consideration. A Steering Group will be established shortly to actively progress the merger.