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Departmental Bodies Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2012

Tuesday, 18 September 2012

Questions (366)

Dara Calleary

Question:

366. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of each quango in his Department; the amount expected to be saved from the mergers of quangos in his Department; the basis for this figure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37259/12]

View answer

Written answers

My Department's officials clarified that the Deputy is referring to the bodies under the aegis of my Department. The following table sets out the Agencies under the remit of my Department. The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the cost of each agency is available in the published annual estimates for the Department. http://per.gov.ie/estpubexp2012/; in addition annual reports and accounts of these bodies are available on their websites.

The Deputy will be aware that there are a number of major structural reform projects that are being progressed in the Education sector. These are 1) Under the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012, the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), the Higher Education Training Awards Council (HETAC) and the Further Education Training Awards Council (FETAC) are currently being amalgamated into a new agency, the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland (QQAAI). It is intended to establish the new Authority and dissolve the NQAI, HETAC and FETAC during the Autumn. Major savings have already been achieved through the administrative preparations for amalgamation through non-replacement of staff retiring or leaving, the consolidation of the CEO role and streamlining of operations across the existing bodies. The 2012 current allocation for the bodies was €7.7 million, compared to an outturn of over €13 million in 2008. Staffing in NQAI, HETAC and FETAC has reduced from 110 to 80 over the same period. Further savings will be achieved in coming years.

2) The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology and Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences were merged in March 2012 to form the Irish Research Council (IRC). The IRC has been established as a sub-board of the HEA. The administrative costs of the Councils amounted to some €1.2m in 2011. As a result of the merger it is expected that a there will be a saving of some €100,000 in 2012.

3) My Department is currently engaged in implementing a government decision to reduce the overall number of VECs from 33 to 16 through the merger of particular counties. The full implementation of the decision is expected to result in annual savings to the Exchequer of the order of €2.1m. These will arise from reductions in staff numbers and potential economies of scale through development of shared services. While there may be scope, over time, to dispose of surplus property it is difficult, given the state of the property market, to estimate what could be raised for the Exchequer from property sales or surrender of leases.

List of Agencies

Agency name

Website address

An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta

www.cogg.ie

Commission into Child Abuse

www.childabusecommission.ie

Education Finance Board

www.educationfinanceboard.com

Foras Áiseanna Saothair

www.fas.ie

Further Education & Training Awards Council

www.fetac.ie

Grangegorman Development Agency

www.ggda.ie

Higher Education and Training Awards Council

www.hetac.ie

Higher Education Authority

www.hea.ie

Irish Research Council

www.ircset.ie

Léargas - The Exchange Bureau

www.leargas.ie

National Centre for Guidance in Education

www.ncge.ie

National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

www.ncca.ie

National Council for Special Education

www.ncse.ie

National Qualifications Authority of Ireland

www.nqai.ie

Residential Institutions Redress Board(RIRB)

www.rirb.ie

Residential Institutions Review Committee (RIRC)

See RIRB website

Skillnets Ltd

www.skillnets.ie

State Examinations Commission

www.examinations.ie

The Teaching Council

www.teachingcouncil.ie

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