asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is conducting an audit of paperwork requirements imposed by his Department, or by agencies under his aegis, on business; if so, when the audit commenced; the named officer, if any, in charge of the audit; if any report thereon has yet been presented to the Minister for Industry and Commerce; if so, the contents thereof; if any practices or regulations have yet been altered as a result of the audit; if so, the details thereof; if he has prepared any report on the compliance costs to industry of legislation being prepared by his Department; the way in which these reports compare in content, scope or purpose with reports on this subject already required by decisions of the previous Government; and if he will outline the subjects being covered by the audit now being conducted in his Department.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Paperwork Requirements Imposed on Business.
The Government have recently decided that each Minister should initiate a programme to review the statutory and information requirements of his Department and the bodies under their aegis which impact on business and industry. My Department is currently engaged in carrying out such a review, which is being co-ordinated by the administration division. As it will take some time before results are available, I am not yet in a position to give the Deputy any further details in the matter.
Would the Taoiseach not agree that the Department of Foreign Affairs, more than most Departments of State, need to have available to them certain researched papers and that only somebody ideologically committed to attacking the public service would want severe cutbacks in the Department of Foreign Affairs which would mean they would not be informed of events around the world?
The Deputy is taking an exaggerated view of this. The Government are trying to reduce the volume of administrative paperwork. We are trying to mitigate the burdens that administration places on business, private enterprise and individuals. Also, from the point of view of the efficiency of our own Departments, we are trying to conduct audits and assessments to see how we can reduce the general level of administrative paperwork, not important documents or assessments.
My idea is that no curtailment should be placed on our embassies in respect of needed periodicals, researched papers and journals, including newspapers. I have been told they were instructed to end their subscription to some newspapers.
I might agree with that if I knew the newspapers.
These matters are kept under careful and constant review.