The merger of the National Roads Authority and Railway Procurement Authority is being examined as part of the ongoing implementation of the July 2009 Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers (the McCarthy Report). My Department has been examining the recommendation contained in the report in relation to the merger of the Railway Procurement Agency and National Roads Authority into a single entity. I have established a Steering Group and this group has had its introductory meeting. Pending completion of this work it is premature to estimate the annual savings, which may accrue from the merger.
However, the Government's continuing examination of all opportunities for rationalizing the numbers of State Agencies also forms part of the wider Government Agenda deriving from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report on the public service. As such it is not focused simply on cost savings arising from such mergers but on the broader synergies that can flow from such a process.