Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 December 2012
547. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 237 of 4 December 2012, if he will provide a list of all new services across his Department that have been tested for external service delivery since March 2011. [55439/12]
View answerThe Department has not proposed the introduction of any new services since the Government decision in July 2012 that new services would be tested for external delivery before approval to provide the service internally would be granted. However, there are a number of initiatives underway or in progress in the Department and our agencies for the external delivery of services. These include: the various outsourcing initiatives on the part of Fáilte Ireland, including the already outsourced inspection and operational elements of its statutory tourism accommodation and grading functions and the ongoing transfer of the operation of certain Tourist Information Offices to local interest groups with support from Fáilte Ireland; the transfer to the Irish Aviation Authority in January 2013 of the Department's statutory functions of monitoring compliance with EU and international aviation security requirements; the external delivery of customer and production services for new format driving licence; the joint outsourcing with other Departments of the Department’s internal audit function; and the ongoing transfer of processing of the Department's staff claims for travel and subsistence to the Department of Finance which also undertakes the payroll function for the Department.
