Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 October 2011
84 Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of State agencies, independent statutory bodies, State boards, or other quangos established by his Department since February 2011; the number which have been abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30601/11]
View answerNo State Agencies or other statutory bodies have been created by my Department since February 2011. Although no agencies have yet been formally abolished, plans are under way to do so in a number of cases.
My Department currently has 13 State Agencies supporting us in our work. These are:
1. Enterprise Ireland
2. IDA Ireland
3. Science Foundation Ireland
4. Shannon Development
5. County & City Enterprise Boards (35)
6. National Standards Authority of Ireland
7. InterTradeIreland (the North / South Business Development Body)
8. Forfás
9. National Consumer Agency
10. The Competition Authority
11. Irish Auditing and Accounting Standards Authority
12. Personal Injuries Assessment Board, and
13. The Health & Safety Authority
In relation to Regulatory Agencies and Statutory bodies, my Department is working to effect the merger of the National Consumer Agency (NCA) and the Competition Authority. As work on a review of the operation and implementation of the 2002 Competition Act was well underway, rather than give effect to the amalgamation of the NCA and Competition Authority in a stand-alone piece of legislation, to be followed in due course by legislation to amend, reform and update the 2002 Act, it was decided to introduce a single comprehensive Bill and Government has approved the drafting of the Consumer and Competition Bill in July 2011.
In relation to the Employment Rights and Industrial Relations bodies within my Department's remit, I have announced my intention to streamline the work of five bodies currently dealing with employment disputes in the workplace into a two tier structure. Four of the existing bodies — the Employment Appeals Tribunal, the National Employment Rights Authority, The Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court — are currently within my remit and one— the Equality Tribunal — is currently within the remit of the Minister for Justice and Equality. I expect this reform and streamlining project to deliver a measurable improvement in the quality of services provided to users of the State's employment rights/industrial relations dispute resolution services and to reduce the cost of accessing such services for both users and to the State. I have announced an ambitious timeline for delivery, including a number of initiatives to be delivered by the end of this year. I have appointed a dedicated Project Team, led by Ger Deering, to drive this reform initiative.
In terms of the Enterprise agencies under my Department's remit, I am currently considering how the policy and research functions of Forfás could be integrated with my Department's resources to further enhance the formulation and development of national enterprise policy.
As agencies operating under the aegis of my Department, the 35 County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) support micro-enterprises (employing up to 10 people) in the start-up and expansion phases and also promote economic activity and entrepreneurship in their areas.
Within my Department we are currently seeking to determine the extent to which there should be restructuring of the CEBs, and the nature of that restructuring, having regard to the Programme for Government, and to other recommendations on CEB restructuring, to the need to achieve a rational and focused model for entrepreneurs, as well as the need to ensure that there is targeted local delivery of enterprise support, driven by a national enterprise policy, in a manner which eliminates overlap and duplication.
