asked the Minister for the Public Service if it would be in the national interest if the Department of Lands were amalgamated with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Departmental Amalgamation.
40.
The amalgamation of the Departments of Lands and Agriculture and Fisheries was recommended in the Report of the Public Services Organisation Review Group. The review group adduced a number of logical reasons why the Departments should be amalgamated but also drew attention to the difficulties attendant on such an amalgamation if the ensuing volume of parliamentary business for the Minister in charge were not reduced by the group's general proposals for the separation of policy and execution. Experiments are being initiated to test the practicality of these proposals in a number of Departments. Until these experiments have made some progress, it would be difficult to assess the merits of the amalgamation of the Department of Lands with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.