Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 September 2013
37. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress made to date on a website portal and joint commercial and marketing strategy as outlined in the comprehensive review of expenditure 2012-2014; the projected income that such an initiative might accrue to the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38506/13]
View answer45. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress made on the proposal contained in the comprehensive review of expenditure 2012 -2014 on shared finance services, and HR services across national cultural institutions; and the savings that would be made by the implementation of this proposal. [38508/13]
View answer56. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress made on the proposal contained in the comprehensive review of expenditure 2012 -2014 on having a single event manager post which could promote the facilities in the national cultural institutions under one brand; the progress and the savings that would be made by the implementation of this proposal [38507/13]
View answer59. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the cost of conservation, cleaning and maintenance costs across the State's cultural institutions; if further consideration has been given to the proposals in the comprehensive review of expenditure to put in place a structure along the lines of the Art Lab proposals in Australia; and the income that could be generated in that way. [38509/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos 37, 45, 56 and 59 together.
As part of the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure 2012-2014, my Department considered a range of possible options for savings in respect of the Arts and Culture programme area. On the basis of that review and in line with many other areas of Government expenditure, considerable savings have been made in thus programme area in recent years. Under the Croke Park and Haddington Road reform programmes, we now gone beyond what was contemplated by the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure. Indeed, savings of the order of 20-25% in the Exchequer allocations to the Cultural Institutions have been made since 2010.
As the Deputy will also be aware, the Government agreed a range of reforms under the Public Service Reform Plan 2011 for a number of the national cultural institutions under the aegis of my Department. I have previously advised the House of the shared services models that will be deployed across the National Museum, the National Library and the National Archives through my Department in relation to corporate support services and by formal inter-institutional agreement in relation to operational services. Regular meetings have been taking place between my Department and senior management in the National Library, the National Museum and the National Archives to implement a human resource shared support service function, which will be provided by the Human Resource Unit of my Department and will cover all HR matters arising in the bodies. The intention is that the Shared HR Support Services will be implemented on an administrative basis, pending enactment of enabling legislation. In respect of the National Gallery of Ireland, the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Crawford Art Gallery Cork, the three Galleries are in the process of agreeing and implementing a range of corporate support and operational shared services.
The focus within my Department and the National Cultural Institutions has been concentrated on the implementation of the Government's Reform Agenda. There has been an intensive engagement by all in that process. That engagement will continue, including a focus on what can be achieved across a range of shared services such as communications, procurement, security, retail services and marketing.
It is expected that operational and support savings in the region of approximately €1 million will be initially realised from the reform programme across the institutions involved which are funded from my Department's Vote Group, with further savings to be identified as the various cost efficiencies are implemented. Savings are also arising from the decision of Government to reduce the numbers serving on boards, advisory councils or similar structures at the cultural institutions and to bring an end to the payment of fees for these positions. A further benefit from the rationalisation of support and operational services will be a less crowded administrative landscape, resulting in greater democratic accountability, less duplication of effort and clearer lines of responsibility for the citizen. It will also allow the institutions to focus on their core objectives of service to the public.
Question No. 39 answered with Question No. 19.
