Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 November 2012
127. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of bodies that have been abolished or amalgamated by his Department out of the list of bodies listed in the public service reform document of 17 November 2011; the savings or cost of this in 2012; the projected savings or cost of this programme in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50537/12]
View answerUnder the Public Service Reform the following were identified for rationalisation:-
- The merger of the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology & Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Science into consolidated single council under HEA;
- The amalgamation of Further Education and Training Awards (FETAC), Higher Education and Training Award Council (HETAC) and National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) into one body the QQI;
- The reduction of the number of VEC's from 33 to 16.
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. As a result of the merger it is expected that a there will be a saving of some €100,000 in 2012 and 2013.
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) were amalgamated into a new agency, the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on the 6th November, 2012.
Major savings had 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. As well as the more general savings arising from organisational efficiencies, specific savings relating to accommodation and staffing arise from the amalgamation. The amalgamating agencies were located in four separate locations and this has been reduced to two. This has realised annual rent savings of approximately €400,000 in a full year. In addition, the reduction in the number of CEOs has resulted in savings of approximately €250,000 per year from 2011 onwards. It is estimated that the costs arising from the amalgamation in 2012 will be approximately €1.8 million, split evenly between accommodation costs and the integration of ICT infrastructure. However, it should be noted that this has been managed in the context of reduced Exchequer allocations since 2008.
In June of 2011, I announced that the Government had approved a revised reconfiguration of the Vocational Education Committees system. The Government decision confirmed that the number of VECs would be reduced to 16 but involves different mergers to those announced by the previous Government.
It is expected, pending passage of the legislation through the Oireachtas, that the Education and Training Boards will be established in early 2013. Consequently, there are no direct savings for 2012. Depending on the date of establishment in 2013, full year savings are estimated at €2.1 million.
