Written Answers Nos. 384-400
384. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a cost-benefit analysis has been undertaken by his Department on the impact of Ireland signing the Antarctic treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48313/13]
View answerA cost benefit analysis has not been undertaken to date by my Department with regard to the impact of Ireland signing the Antarctic Treaty. From a purely fisheries perspective, the necessity of Ireland becoming a signatory to the Treaty and more particularly, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine living Resources (CCAMLR), would only arise were we to engage in harvesting or research activity in Antarctic waters. It is not envisaged that either or both of these activities will be undertaken in the short to medium term.
385. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason behind his decision to introduce a 125 km rendering restriction on knackeries; the discussions to date with the knackery industry on the measure; if he is satisfied that this measure is not anti-competitive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48332/13]
View answerThe operation of the TSE Subsidy Scheme has been examined in my Department and a number of changes have been introduced on a ‘best practice’ basis which include enhanced compliance provisions and putting some limits on distance material can be carried whilst maintaining choice.
This examination took into account a number of considerations including TSE testing requirements, Animal By-Product Regulations, the need to maintain competition and the need for an adequate collection and disposal infrastructure.
Under the new arrangements each Animal Collector will be able to choose to use at least two rendering companies. Each Animal Collector licensed by my Department and each rendering company on the island of Ireland have been invited to express their interest in being included in panels to operate the revised scheme which it is envisaged will be in operation from 30 November 2013.
These revised terms and conditions only apply to material collected and disposed under the TSE Subsidy Scheme that my Department operates to facilitate the TSE testing of over 48 month bovines as required by EU legislation. Any Animal Collector who wishes to opt out of this scheme will, subject to compliance with Animal By-Product regulatory requirements not be bound by the revised scheme rules.
The new arrangements will be subject to a 6-month review in light of experience and my officials are open to discussion at any time with any stakeholders on matters of concern to them.
386. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers on a countrywide basis awaiting the first instalment of their single farm payments and disadvantaged areas payments respectively; if he will ensure that a partial payment is made to all farmers while outstanding issues are being resolved in view of the serious financial hardship as a result of borrowings and credit for fodder earlier this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48333/13]
View answerIn respect of the Single Payment Scheme the earliest payment date under the governing EU rules is 1 December. However, earlier this year I successfully sought the approval of the Commissioner to have advance payments made as and from 16 October, my approach to the Commissioner having being prompted by the protracted unseasonable weather which prevailed throughout the country, which culminated in the serious national fodder shortage and led to severe financial and animal welfare difficulties for farmers. The 50% advance payments commenced, on target, on 16 October and, to date, payments worth €582 million have issued to over 115,000 farmers. Payments continue to issue on a twice-weekly basis, as individual cases are confirmed eligible for payment. Table 1 sets out the Single Farm payments made, to date, on a county basis.
Payments under the 2013 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme begin issuing, on target, on 25 September. While there is no regulatory date by which DAS payments must commence, it is generally recognised and indeed acknowledged in the Farmers’ Charter, that the third week in September of any given year is the earliest feasible payment date, given the volume and complexity of processing involved. To date, payments worth €178 million have issued to over 84,000 farmers. Payments continue to issue on a twice weekly basis, with individual cases being paid 100% of the amount due as they are confirmed eligible.
It should be appreciated, however, that many applicants, who declare land situated in a Disadvantaged Area are not eligible for payment under the Scheme. Many of these applicants do not maintain any animals and those that do maintain animals do not keep sufficient livestock to meet the minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per hectare. This is a normal feature of the Disadvantaged Area Scheme. I should emphasise, however, that many of those currently showing as having insufficient stock will ultimately satisfy the requirement – the minimum retention period being seven consecutive months. I expect that there will be a steady flow of cases each month where compliance with this retention period will be confirmed, thereby allowing payments to issue. Table 2 sets out the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme payments made, to date, on a county basis.
Successive EU audits have made it clear that payments should not issue under Area Based schemes, including Single Farm and Disadvantaged Areas, until all queries associated with an application are resolved. Therefore, while I fully appreciate the difficulties that farmers have faced this year as highlighted by the Deputy, it would not be appropriate to make advance payments on cases that have not been cleared. I have, however, made it clear that every effort will be made to resolve all outstanding cases as soon as possible and have assigned additional resources to ensure this.
Table 1: 2013 Single Payment Scheme
|
County |
Applied |
Paid |
Value of payments |
|
CARLOW |
1,608 |
1,445 |
€11,165,362.05 |
|
CAVAN |
4,670 |
4,400 |
€17,101,817.29 |
|
CLARE |
6,000 |
5,817 |
€23,765,610.01 |
|
CORK |
12,786 |
12,153 |
€81,147,522.53 |
|
DONEGAL |
7,945 |
7,297 |
€22,177,936.36 |
|
DUBLIN |
608 |
573 |
€4,331,355.64 |
|
GALWAY |
11,675 |
10,942 |
€37,676,963.57 |
|
KERRY |
7,547 |
7,023 |
€27,318,346.51 |
|
KILDARE |
2,021 |
1,793 |
€14,257,290.43 |
|
KILKENNY |
3,414 |
3,236 |
€26,669,751.77 |
|
LAOIS |
2,891 |
2,751 |
€19,918,552.11 |
|
LEITRIM |
3,313 |
3,058 |
€8,137,306.39 |
|
LIMERICK |
5,014 |
4,705 |
€24,824,064.40 |
|
LONGFORD |
2,319 |
2,203 |
€9,600,750.60 |
|
LOUTH |
1,469 |
1,370 |
€9,149,226.56 |
|
MAYO |
11,264 |
10,456 |
€28,800,631.42 |
|
MEATH |
3,674 |
3,485 |
€26,128,153.30 |
|
MONAGHAN |
3,908 |
3,775 |
€15,161,397.21 |
|
OFFALY |
2,981 |
2,809 |
€17,953,552.63 |
|
ROSCOMMON |
5,586 |
5,182 |
€19,207,647.03 |
|
SLIGO |
3,870 |
3,576 |
€10,834,785.47 |
|
TIPPERARY |
6,837 |
6,558 |
€49,632,971.32 |
|
WATERFORD |
2,379 |
2,282 |
€19,112,669.56 |
|
WESTMEATH |
2,888 |
2,672 |
€16,174,331.35 |
|
WEXFORD |
3,971 |
3,664 |
€28,431,720.58 |
|
WICKLOW |
2,057 |
1,915 |
€13,359,706.89 |
|
TOTALS |
122,695 |
115,140 |
€582,039,422.98 |
Table 2: 2013 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme
|
County |
Applied |
Paid |
Value of payments |
|
Carlow |
770 |
605 |
€1,177,583.20 |
|
Cavan |
4,941 |
4,200 |
€8,776,690.06 |
|
Clare |
6,245 |
5,349 |
€12,253,734.33 |
|
Cork |
7,299 |
6,000 |
€13,369,031.65 |
|
Donegal |
8,720 |
6,602 |
€15,193,351.21 |
|
Dublin |
152 |
98 |
€214,314.12 |
|
Galway |
12,368 |
9,892 |
€20,692,366.20 |
|
Kerry |
7,888 |
6,234 |
€14,868,771.00 |
|
Kildare |
548 |
403 |
€689,909.76 |
|
Kilkenny |
1,829 |
1,537 |
€3,078,472.39 |
|
Laois |
1,753 |
1,462 |
€2,773,157.98 |
|
Leitrim |
3,541 |
2,896 |
€6,391,351.04 |
|
Limerick |
3,005 |
2,418 |
€4,522,237.00 |
|
Longford |
2,431 |
2,061 |
€4,335,895.42 |
|
Louth |
824 |
620 |
€1,003,771.88 |
|
Mayo |
11,963 |
9,246 |
€19,418,291.81 |
|
Meath |
1,377 |
1,109 |
€1,907,629.61 |
|
Monaghan |
4,192 |
3,572 |
€6,864,841.07 |
|
Offaly |
2,473 |
2,021 |
€3,800,524.32 |
|
Roscommon |
5,878 |
4,663 |
€9,950,646.96 |
|
Sligo |
4,169 |
3,258 |
€6,932,927.69 |
|
Tipperary |
4,643 |
3,823 |
€7,794,269.72 |
|
Waterford |
1,501 |
1,232 |
€2,402,134.14 |
|
Westmeath |
2,715 |
2,226 |
€4,259,869.58 |
|
Wexford |
1,554 |
1,158 |
€2,022,316.81 |
|
Wicklow |
1,849 |
1,474 |
€3,465,444.83 |
|
TOTALS |
104,628 |
84,159 |
€178,159,533.78 |
387. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the state of development at Oberstown; the drug treatment facilities that will be available; the resources that will be available for staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45959/13]
View answerFollowing extensive work involving my Department and the Office of Public Works since I secured funding for this project in early 2012, the design process is now complete, planning permission has been secured and the tendering process has resulted in BAM Building Ltd. being appointed as the main contractor. A number of sub-contractors have also been appointed and construction started on site on 23 September 2013. On 14 October 2013 I officially launched the construction of the new facilities.
The timeline for the project will see the first three new residential units available in the third quarter of 2014, which will be used to facilitate the transfer of responsibility for 17 year old boys from adult prison facilities (currently St. Patrick's Institution) to the Oberstown campus and will deliver on the Government's commitment to end the practice of detaining children in St. Patrick's Institution. An additional three residential units, to be delivered in 2015, will be used to replace existing accommodation on the Oberstown campus which has reached the end of its useful life. The development will also provide associated education, recreation, security and other ancillary facilities and will result in all detention services for children being delivered in a single location, maximising the scope for ensuring best practice standards, using the children detention school model, and operational efficiency. The project is due to be fully complete by the third quarter of 2015.
Among the facilities to be provided is a dedicated medical area to support improved delivery of on-site services from visiting doctors and dentists and from the nurse employed on campus. In addition, and in advance of the new facilities being delivered, a certified system of mental health screening is shortly to be implemented for all young people being detained on campus which will identify those who are misusing drugs/alcohol within 24 to 48 hours after admission. These young people will be referred to the Assessment, Consultation and Therapy Service (ACTS), a new HSE service based on the Oberstown campus that will provide in-reach therapeutic services to the children detention schools. This service includes addiction counsellors.
However, the deputy should be aware that the children detention schools are not specialist drug treatment centres. A policy for Drugs/Alcohol and Substance Use/Misuse has been developed to deal appropriately with young people affected by these issues including access to specialist services when necessary. The policy is available to view on the website of the Irish Youth Justice Service, www.iyjs.ie. This approach is in line with the wider approach of facilitating access by young people to appropriate specialist interventions whereby those with specialist needs are accompanied to healthcare and other settings.
Staff in the children detention schools are, and will continue to be, fully supported with training and development in this and all other relevant areas to ensure competency in working in what is often a very challenging environment. Measures are ongoing to create an integrated, single campus and to develop a single set of care policies, in the context of the proposed full amalgamation of the existing 3 children detention schools, which will support management and staff in cross campus working and opportunities for further development. A Campus Manager is to be appointed shortly who will be responsible for driving the reforms that are currently taking place in Oberstown. In order to complement the expansion in the Oberstown campus, work is ongoing on a recruitment programme to be implemented on a phased basis for additional care staff needed to manage the new facilities that are being brought into operation during 2014.
A comprehensive planning process has also recently commenced for the delivery of services for all children under 18 in Oberstown in advance of the transfer of responsibility for 17 year old boys. This will include appropriate input from the Irish Youth Justice Service which is based in my Department, the Irish Prison Service and other agencies including the Probation Service, the Courts Service, an Garda Síochána and the HSE Child and Family Support Services, which will shortly become the Child and Family Agency.
389. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason she refuses to meet with an organisation (details supplied) despite several meeting requests; if she will agree to meet with this organisation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47760/13]
View answerI have asked my officials with responsibility for adoption policy to contact the organisation directly. I have asked officials to meet with this organisation in the first instance and then to brief me on the issues raised.
390. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will indicate in relation to cases where the identity of the birth mother has been established, the way information can be withheld on the grounds of protecting her identity. [47800/13]
View answerAt the heart of the issue of access to adoption information is the matter of balancing of an adopted person's right to information about his or her identity against a birth parent's right to privacy, which includes among other things her identity.
I am conscious of the concerns of those who are seeking information in regard to their birth mother or a child given up at birth. The desire to know one's identity, or to re-establish contact with a child, is very fundamental and entirely reasonable. Existing procedures in this area, both legislative and administrative, are not ideal and I have been anxious to see improvement in this regard. The existing arrangements for those seeking access to information reflect a transition from complex and historical situations and I am anxious that the HSE implement improved and consistent arrangements. It is also necessary to acknowledge that the legal and Constitutional framework within which such access operates is complex, reflecting as it does the balancing rights to privacy of the mother or a child who may not wish for contact to be re- established or personal information exchanged.
Work is continuing in relation to the preparation of the Heads of Bill of the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill. I am anxious to bring the Heads of bill before Government at the earliest possible date. The Constitutional and legal context within which the development of these legislative proposals must be undertaken is complex. I have agreed with the Oireachtas Health and Children Committee that once agreed by Government, the Heads of Bill will be the subject of Committee hearings so that the complex and sensitive issues involved can be the subject of public consideration.
391. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will instruct the Adoption Authority of Ireland to de-register an organisation (details supplied) in view of the fact that it has been involved in organising illegal adoptions; and if she will conduct an inspection of all of its files as part of a thorough investigation into its operation. [47857/13]
View answerIssues in relation to the accreditation of agencies providing adoption services is a matter for the Adoption Authority. Section 130 of the Adoption Act, 2010, contains provisions in relation to the Authority's ability to cancel a registration of an accredited body.
The Adoption Authority advises that in June of this year St. Patrick's Guild informed the Authority it intends to withdraw from the provision of its Information and Tracing Service. A period of 12 - 18 months notice was given to allow for plans to be put in place for a transfer of the information and tracing service. St. Patrick's Guild also notified the Health Service Executive of this decision and has entered into discussion with them about arrangements for the future. The consultation process between the Adoption Authority and the HSE in relation to the transfer of the service and arrangements for the future is ongoing. As further information becomes available it will be posted on the Authority website (www.aai.gov.ie).
At the present time St Patrick’s Guild are working with enquiries received up to and including April 2013. It is planned to keep the waiting list open until the end of November 2013 and to continue working with all written requests and enquiries until the end of June 2014. Progress going forward will be kept under review and all persons concerned will be informed as to the steps taken in respect of their enquiries, and also about the future plans of the agency. Inquiries received after the date given above will be noted and listed and, in due course, will be transferred to the agency that is appointed to receive them.
392. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason that current net Voted expenditure in her Department was €29 million, 8% behind profile at the end of October 2013; if she expects this underspend to continue to the end of 2013; if any unspent allocation will be available for any other programmes in 2013; if she anticipates that any underspend in 2013 will be greater than the level of cuts her Department made in 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47906/13]
View answerThe profiling data to which the Deputy refers relates to information which was published by the Department of Finance in the context of the Exchequer Returns for end October 2013. The current expenditure shortfall at this time is primarily attributable to timing factors relating to fund disbursements under the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme and the School Age Childcare Initiative.
While expenditure levels under these programmes, especially the ECCE programme, will increase between now and the end of the year it is expected that there will be a underspend under the School Age Childcare Initiative due to limited take-up of the scheme in 2013. The extent of this underspend, together with any other identified savings or pressures that may arise elsewhere in the Vote, is currently under examination within my Department and will be considered in due course in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
393. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason that capital net Voted expenditure in her Department was €12 million, 46.1% behind profile at the end of October 2013; if she expects this underspend to continue to the end of 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47907/13]
View answerA total of €25.76m in capital funding is available to my Department for 2013 and over 80% of this relates to the development of the National Children's Detention facility at Oberstown in Co. Dublin.
When profiling this expenditure at the start of this year, it was anticipated that the building work would begin earlier than has actually been the case. This was primarily due to detailed contractual discussions and negotiations and I am happy to confirm that building work has now started. However, as a result of these timing issues, the cash flow for the project has been adjusted and it is now anticipated that only €10m will be expended in 2013 as opposed to the original estimate of over €20m. It is still expected that 3 new units will be delivered by the 3rd quarter in 2014 to prioritise the accommodation of 17 year old boys currently the responsibility of the Irish Prison Service. The remaining units, to replace existing buildings, will be delivered by the 3rd quarter 2015. The overall project cost will not be impacted on by this cash flow adjustment with the balance of overall funding now being required in 2014 and 2015 to meet contractual commitments.
394. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the programmes that are in place in each county to aid youth on social welfare who come under the remit of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47924/13]
View answer395. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the programmes in place under her Department remit in each county to combat youth unemployment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47926/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 394 and 395 together.
The Government has a range of measures in place to tackle youth unemployment and these include programmes and initiatives in education, training, job search assistance/ work experience and to encourage job creation. Youth unemployment is a particular concern because of the prospects it holds for young people themselves, their personal development and for social inclusion. My Department works closely with the Departments of Education and Skills, Social Protection, Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and others as part of a cross-departmental effort to realise Government objectives for employment growth and improved access to the labour market for young unemployed people.
In 2013, funding of €53.498m, including €1.75m for a new capital funding programme, has been provided to my Department for the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country by the voluntary youth sector. There are some 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects and over 40,000 volunteers involved in the provision of these services at local level and each year over 380,000 young people participate in a range of activities and programmes designed to enhance their learning and self development.
As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, my aim is to promote the potential youth work can play, as part of the response to the challenges facing young people today including the youth employment challenge, through collaboration with other interests. Youth work and non-formal learning in its many programmes and activities; recreational, sporting, learning, volunteering and personal development, offer young people opportunities to acquire new competences and skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, resilience, motivation, creativity and leadership. These are core and transferable life skills; the 21st century skills that are so important to equip young people for the challenges in today’s world including training and career readiness.
There is a growing recognition in Ireland and across Europe of the potential of youth work services to enhance young people’s development including their employability and the programmes funded by my Department are supporting these youth work services at local, regional and national level. A range of innovative programmes have been introduced by youth sector organisations to respond to young people's needs. These include mentoring and guidance programmes, entrepreneurship projects, volunteering and social enterprise and mobility initiatives to enhance young people’s experiences and their employment readiness. County level information about such initiatives in the youth sector is not readily available to my Department.
As I have said, my Department is working closely with the Departments of Education, Social Protection and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to identify in what ways the youth sector can contribute to the shared policy objectives for youth employment. In particular, my Department is examining the potential of non-formal learning to reach out to those young people not in education, training or employment and to support measures implementing the Youth Guarantee. The National Youth Work Advisory Committee, whose members include representatives of voluntary youth work organisations, is also considering issues to do with progressing this important agenda for our young people.
396. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the increase and decline of youth populations in counties is taken into account when resources are distributed; if she has undertaken a review of the agencies in charge of distributing resources in respect of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47927/13]
View answer397. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in respect of youth funding, the way the amount and rate of funding per funding body is determined; the factors that go into determining the amount of funding each body receives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47929/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 396 and 397 together.
Funding of €53.498m, including €1.75m for a new capital funding programme, has been provided to my Department in 2013 for the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country through a number of schemes.
The schemes include:
- the Youth Service Grant Scheme, which supports 31 national youth organisations;
- the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund Rounds 1 and 2, and Local Drug Task Force projects, which support 477 local projects for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people; and
- the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme and other youth services including the Youth Information Centres.
Altogether, these funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 400,000 young people and involve approximately 1,400 paid staff and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. Due to budgetary constraints, no new projects have been admitted to these schemes since 2008.
The allocations for the national youth organisations and for local projects and services are determined, in the first instance, by my Department having regard to the available budget under the schemes. The process for the local youth projects throughout the country involves the submission of an annual/ renewal application for funding and an annual progress report in which the project details the target cohort of young people for their services, the programmes that are provided, their objectives and the overall number of young people that have participated in services. The local Education and Training Board (ETB) youth officer, where appropriate, has a role in recommending the relevant project for continued funding. The process that support projects for marginalised and disadvantaged young people has not, since the inception of the schemes, had reference to county level data on demographic trends in the youth population.
The funding for the 477 local youth projects is administered on behalf of my Department by, in the main, by the ETBs. Pobal administers the funding for the 31 national youth organisations. The allocations for local projects which are initially determined by my Department, are notified to the relevant ETB at the beginning of the year. In recent years, my Department has afforded the ETBs the flexibility to reconfigure the allocations to the youth projects in their area, within and across the funding schemes, where this is appropriate to their local needs and provided they remain within their overall budget. Any proposals for amalgamations/reconfiguration of the allocations to individual projects are subject to my Department’s approval.
The funding for the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme, however, under which 1,600 local youth clubs (with 10,000 participants) benefit each year, is allocated by my Department to the Education and Training Boards on the basis of youth population numbers.
My Department has commenced a comprehensive Value for Money and Policy Review of the youth funding schemes. This review is considering the rationale and objectives of the current youth funding schemes and, inter alia, to what extent the schemes have been effective in achieving these objectives and their compatibility with the overall strategy of my Department. It is anticipated that the review, which is nearing completion, will make recommendations for the future operation of the schemes. It is also expected to inform the youth strategy which is being developed by my Department. The youth strategy will promote co-ordination between Government departments and youth sector organisations with a view to maximising the effectiveness of the State funding available to support services for young people in future years.
398. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide in tabular form for each year since she was provided with a budget the total cumulative amount in euro paid with her budget for non-audit services to companies (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48118/13]
View answerMy Department has not incurred any expenditure in respect of the provision of non-audit services by the companies mentioned by the Deputy.
399. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide in tabular form for each year since she was provided with a budget the total cumulative amount in euro paid with her budget to senior counsel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48151/13]
View answerMy Department was established on the 2nd June 2011 and since then the following has been paid to Senior Counsel:
|
Year |
Amount |
|
2012 |
€3,690.00 |
400. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views regarding the sharing of administrative facilities for the Information Commissioner and the Office of the Ombudsman for Children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48226/13]
View answerThe Ombudsman for Children is an independent officer of the State and accounts for her statutory functions to the Oireachtas. As Minister, I have certain functions and responsibilities for the Ombudsman for Children's Office under the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002. Most notably the funding of the Ombudsman for Children's Office through the Vote of my Department.
As the Deputy is probably aware, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform published its Public Sector Reform Document on 17th November, 2011. This Public Service Reform Plan included an intention to address a wide range of issues, one of which is the implementation of shared service models for HR, payroll, pensions etc. Appendix IIa of this document lists the bodies to be rationalised, amalgamated or abolished. The document references my Department relating to the Ombudsman for Children and the intention to merge the back-office functions of the Ombudsman for Children into the Ombudsman/Information Commissioner's Office (Action No 47).
Given the current economic climate, I am conscious that we make every effort to rationalise transactional or support processes by establishing shared operations to drive greater efficiencies and process improvement.
In 2012, at the request of my Department, Ms. Emily Logan, the Ombudsman for Children, undertook a review of the potential for merging the back office functions of her Office into the Ombudsman/Information Commissioner's Office. This review included finance, human resources, information technology , office accommodation, equipment and supplies. The office currently has contracts in place for the provision of legal and also financial services such as payroll. The IT function for the office is managed on a shared service basis by the Department of Health. Limited potential was identified for sharing or merging back office functions and no potential savings were identified in that process.
More recently, in the context of wider developments in shared services, arrangements are being considered to bring HR processes for the Ombudsman for Children's Office into the civil service human resource management service known as 'People Point' in the same way as has already been done for staff of the Office of the Ombudsman/Information Commissioner. This shared service model is part of recent public sector reform initiatives announced by Government in 2011 to bring about an integrated and efficient public sector.
I am satisfied that the processes outlined shows the Ombudsman for Children to be taking full account of the objective of efficiency in back office and corporate supports and expenditures while continuing to discharge the very important statutory responsibilities set out in the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002.
