I propose to take Questions Nos. 287 and 288 together.
I have announced my intention to integrate Forfás into my Department to strengthen the Department's capacity to develop and implement enterprise policy. The proposal is not driven by the objective of finding cost savings, although some savings may arise in due course if synergies between the two organisations are identified. I do not envisage any reduction in job numbers as a result of the integration.
I very much value the independent nature of the research and advice that Forfás has provided to me since I came in to office. I do not intend this independent thinking to be diminished by the integration process. Forfás's policy and research functions will form the core of a new Strategic Policy Division in my Department. This Division will be tasked with a significant range of policy evaluation, coordination and planning functions. The senior management teams of both my Department and Forfás are committed to ensuring that the integration is operationalised in a way that maximises the outcomes in terms of both developing and implementing enterprise policy.
An Implementation Group, comprising senior management from my Department, Forfás, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, is overseeing the integration project and will consider all of the legislative, financial and staffing implications that arise from the exercise. A project of this nature would typically take up to 18 months for completion.