Written answers
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Departmental Agencies
Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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610. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide, in tabular form, all of the State agencies, bodies, organisations and working groups under his Department's remit; the core duties and functions of same; the number of staff at same; the budget of each for 2013 and proposed budget for 2014; the date of establishment of the agencies or organisations; and the legislation, primary or otherwise, from which they derive their powers. [37201/14]
Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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My Departmental remit includes complex policy areas and oversight of State regulation and provision of key strategic services such as energy and public broadcasting. In this context, the number of Commercial State Bodies and Non-Commercial State Bodies, including Regulators, currently under the aegis of my Department is 18. Of these 18 Bodies, The Ordnance Survey of Ireland (OSI) will be merged with the Property Registration Authority and the Valuation Office which will, over the next number of months, see it transfer to the Department of Justice and Equality, who are leading on the transfer process. The Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) will transition to Dublin City Council (DCC) pending the enactment of legislation. Arrangements for the transitioning of DHDA to DCC are underway with a view to completing the transition as quickly as possible.
The budgets of State Agencies and Bodies under the aegis of this Department are comprised of income from services provided, direct Exchequer provision in a number of instances (as set out in the annual Estimates volume), and fees or other revenue generated by individual bodies. Full details in each case are set out in the annual reports and accounts published by the relevant body, which are generally available online and in the Oireachtas library.
I have set out in the following table the list of Bodies under the aegis of my Department, together with the core duties and functions of each Body, the date of establishment of each Body and the legislation governing each Body. In relation to the number of staff in each Body, I will ask the agencies under the aegis of my Department to provide the requested information directly to the Deputy.
| Agency | 1. Date of Establishment 2. Core duties and functions 3. Legislation governing |
|---|---|
| An Post | (1) 1984 (2) An Post is Ireland's national postal service provider. It is a major commercial organisation providing a wide range of services which encompass postal, communication, retail and money transmission services. It is one of Ireland's largest companies directly employing over 9,600 people through its national network of retail, processing and delivery points. (3) and |
| Ervia | (1) 1976 (2) Bord Gáis Éireann was established under the Gas Act, 1976 to develop and maintain a system for the supply of natural gas that is both economical and efficient. BGÉ’s main strategic objective in recent years has been to develop as an all-island energy company providing transportation and supply services for natural gas and generation and supply service for electricity. (3) The Gas Acts 1976 to 2002 |
| Bord na Móna | (1) 1946 (2) Bord na Móna is the supplier of products and services based principally on peat. The Company is also providing products and services in the environmental, renewable energy, electricity generation and waste management business sectors. (3) Turf Development Act, 1998 |
| Eirgrid | (1) 1 July 2006 (2) EirGrid plc was established to act as the independent Transmission System Operator (TSO), in line with the requirements of the EU Electricity Directive and became operational as the TSO on 1 July 2006. (3) |
| ESB | (1) 1927 (2) The Electricity Supply Board was set up in accordance with the Electricity Supply Board Acts 1927 – 2001. It was set up as a corporate body to control and develop Ireland's electricity network. (3) The suite of legislative measures governing ESB is available at: |
| RTE | (1) 1960 (2) RTÉ is the national public service broadcaster and is required to provide a comprehensive range of programmes on its radio and television services. (3) Broadcasting Act 2009 |
| TG4 | (1) 2007 (2) TG4 is an Irish Language television station based at Baile na hAbhann, Co. Galway. TG4 was established as an independent statutory body in 2007 under the Broadcasting Act, 2001. (3) |
| BAI | (1) 01/10/2009 (2) The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland was established on 1st October 2009 to regulate content across all broadcasting, assuming the roles previously held by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCC). (3) |
| Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) | (1) 21/07/2003 (2) The Digital Hub Development Agency was established under the Digital Hub Development Act 2003 to oversee the development of the Digital Hub, Ireland's flagship in the digital media sector. (3) Digital Hub Development Agency Act, 2003 |
| Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) | (1) 01/07/2010 (2) Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) was established under the Inland Fisheries Act 2010. IFI is the agency responsible for the protection, management and conservation of Ireland's inland fisheries and sea angling resources. (3) |
| National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) | (1) Established in 1995 as a private limited company and on 01/08/2007 as a stand-alone state body under the NORA Act 2007. (2) The National Oil Reserves Agency Act 2007 established NORA as a non-commercial state body under the aegis of the Department. Its function is to maintain strategic stocks of oil in line with the State’s oil stockholding obligations to the EU and the International Energy Agency (IEA). (3) |
| Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) | (1) 04/03/2002 (2) Ordnance Survey Ireland is the national mapping agency of the State and was established as a statutory body on 4 March 2002. Its functions include the creation and maintenance of the definitive national mapping and related geographic records of the State. (3) and Section 25 of the Markets in Financial Instruments and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2007 which is available at |
| Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) | (1) 01/10/2002 (2) Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI), formerly SEI, was established in 2002 to promote and assist the development of sustainable energy. (3) |
| Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission (Loughs Agency) | (1) 02/12/1999 (2) Its responsibilities include (a) the promotion and development of Lough Foyle and Carlingford Lough for commercial and recreational purposes in respect of marine, fishery and aquaculture matters (b) the management, conservation, protection, improvement and development of inland fisheries; (c) the development and licensing of aquaculture; and (d) the development of marine tourism. (3) British Irish Agreement No. 1 of 1999 |
| Irish National Petroleum Corporation | (1) 1979 (2) Following the sale of its business and commercial assets (Whitegate Refinery and Bantry storage terminal) in July 2001, the INPC has no operational capacity/ employees. Its current activities are limited to its rights and obligations under the Sale and Purchase Agreement attaching to the 2001 transaction |
| Mining Board | (1) Established under S33.1 of the Minerals Development Act 1940 enacted on 14th November 1940. (2) An independent quasi-judicial board set up under the Minerals Development Act 1940. Its main function is to determine various types of compensation provided for under the Minerals Development Acts 1940 to 1999, mainly to private mineral owners. It was also charged with deciding what minerals are exempted from the State’s exclusive right to work minerals under the Minerals Development Act 1979. |
| Commission for Energy Regulation | (1) 14/07/1999 (2) The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is Ireland’s independent energy regulator of the natural gas and electricity markets in Ireland, with a range of economic, customer protection and safety regulatory functions. CER is also the economic regulator of Ireland’s public water system. (3) Electricity Regulation Act 1999 No. 23 of 1999 |
| Commission for Communications Regulation | (1) 01/12/2002 (2) ComReg is charged with the regulation of the communications market in Ireland. Its remit covers all kinds of transmission networks from the traditional telephone wire service through to operators providing TV services and from mobile phone networks to the postal service. (3) Communications Regulations Act 2002 No. 20 of 2002 |
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