Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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298. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the annual saving to her Department if spending on education and training was reduced by 2.5%, 5% and 10%; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26915/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In line with the Performance Management Development System, which identifies staff training needs and skills requirements to deliver on business plans and objectives, my Department supports the development of staff through formal training courses, in-house training, attendance at relevant conferences and seminars, refund of academic fees, and reimbursement of professional membership fees. My Department spent a total of €246,400 on training and development in 2014. The following table sets out the totals involved in a 2.5%, 5%, and 10% reduction in that expenditure.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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299. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the annual saving to her Department if spending on professional fees, including but not limited to legal, IT-related, accountancy and other advisory and consultancy, was reduced by 10%; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26943/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am advised that if spending by my Department on all services that are subject to Professional Services Withholding Tax were maintained at the levels observed in 2014, then a reduction of 10% in the associated fees would result in a reduction in expenditure of the order of €300,000 per annum.

As the Deputy will appreciate, expenditure of this kind is subject to considerable variation over time as various projects commence and others are completed. My Department continues to seek to keep costs arising under these headings to a minimum.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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300. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the annual saving to the Exchequer if the Minister's special adviser's salary was capped at the first point of the principal officer grade, that is €75,647; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26957/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Both of my Special Advisors have been paid at the first point on the Principal Officer Scale since their appointment in 2014.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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301. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the annual saving to her Department and the bodies under its aegis if all the fees for all State agency, non-commercial State sponsored bodies and commercial semi-State board members were reduced by 25%; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26972/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The total amount paid in fees in 2014 to members of State boards under my Department’s aegis was €200,207. On that basis, if fees were reduced by 25% it would potentially result in a saving in the order of €50,000. However, I am advised that expenditure on board fees is expected to fall in 2015, mainly because some board members who could claim fees have waived their fee on a voluntary basis. Consequently, the savings that could potentially arise from any given percentage reduction in fees may be less than the level indicated above.

In the interest of completeness, it should be noted that appointments to the boards of Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency, as agencies of the North South Implementation Body, are made by the North South Ministerial Council. Details of fees in relation to these boards may be found on the websites and .