Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2012
550. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of agencies, authorities, boards, committees, working groups, tribunals, council services, task forces, agencies or other quangos set up by his Department since February 2011; the number abolished since then; the extra cost of quangos which were established; the savings from the abolition of quangos; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37248/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra551. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the estimated cost of each quango in his Department; the amount expected to be saved from the mergers of quangos in his Department; the basis for this figure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37264/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 550 and 551 together.
In the context of the Government’s Programme of Public Sector Reform, including rationalisation of the number of State Agencies and Bodies, very significant progress has been achieved in relation to a number of the Bodies under the aegis of my Department. The Bodies that are involved in the rationalisation programme are listed in full in Table 1, as well as the staff and financial savings anticipated.
I would like in particular, to point to significant reforms underway in a number of the Bodies listed on which work is being progressed. This includes reforms such as the merging of the Competition Authority with the National Consumer Agency; a major programme of reform in relation to the rationalisation of the employment rights Bodies to reduce these in number from 5 to 2; Government agreement to dissolve the existing County Enterprise Boards and create a “one-stop-shop” micro enterprise support structure; the integration of Forfás into the Department in order to strengthen the Department’s capacity to develop and implement enterprise policy and, the intention, announced by Government to bring forward proposals before year end 2012 for the implementation of the decision on restructuring State Airports and Shannon Development and the re-alignment of tourism and enterprise support functions in the Shannon region.
Table 1:
|
Name of Body/ Organisation |
Current Status |
Savings/Reduction in numbers |
|
Competition Authority and National Consumer Agency |
The Government has agreed to merge these two bodies. As both agencies were established under statute, it is necessary to give effect to the newly merged body by way of primary legislation. Government approved the draft Heads of a Bill in July 2011 and these were sent to the Office of Parliamentary Counsel for drafting. |
Initial set-up costs will be incurred. No savings in whole-time equivalent (WTE) numbers. |
|
Labour Court National Employment Rights Authority Labour Relations Commission Employment Appeals Tribunal Equality Tribunal |
A major reform programme is underway to replace the five existing employments rights bodies with two. Four of the existing bodies – the Employment Appeals Tribunal, the National Employment Rights Authority, the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court – are currently within the remit of the Department. One – the Equality Tribunal – is currently within the remit of the Minister for Justice and Equality. In terms of delivering the reform a number of important priority actions have been successfully delivered, including the development of a: - Single Contact Portal A new single contact portal called “Workplace Relations Customer Services” is fully operational since the beginning of 2012 and provides a single point of entry into the system for employment rights and industrial relations information. - Single Complaint Form A Single Complaint Form that deals with over 100 first instance complaints was launched on the 4th of January 2012 replacing 30 forms previously in use. - Workplace Relations Website The new interim workplace relations website www.workplacerelations.ie went live on 4th January 2012. This website brings together, in one place, information on all aspects of employment rights and industrial relations. - Early Resolution Service Delivery of a pilot Early Resolution Service has commenced. This service will assist parties to a dispute to resolve the issue themselves with the assistance of a Case Resolution Officer. Consultation The Minister has undertaken two public consultation processes and published two policy papers setting out in detail how the reform will be delivered. He engaged with the Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in July 2012. Legislation A draft Scheme of the Workplace Relations Bill, which will put the reforms on a statutory footing, has been prepared and the Cabinet approved the priority drafting of the Bill in July 2012. |
The annual cost of the Workplace Relations Services amounted to some €20m in 2010. It is expected that significant savings, in terms of both reductions in staff numbers & increased efficiency & productivity, will be generated by the end of 2013 by which time the majority of the Workplace Relations Reform Programme will have been implemented. Work has commenced on identifying and capturing on-going pay and non-pay savings. |
|
County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) |
Government has approved the establishment of a new “one-stop-shop” micro-enterprise support structure through the dissolution of the existing CEBs and the formation of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). An implementation Working Group composed of representatives of the Government Departments and State Agencies involved in developing and rolling out the new model is working under the auspices of the Department to progress the matter. In conjunction with this, the Department is engaged with the Office of the Attorney General regarding appropriate legislation. |
It is to be expected that over time there will be savings resulting from the removal of costs associated with the individual Company status of each CEB, use of shared services, reduced rental costs associated with the relocation of some offices etc. However initial direct savings will be modest as it could take some years to realise these savings due to existing leasing arrangements etc. |
|
Forfás |
Last July I announced my intention to integrate Forfas into my Department to strengthen the Department’s capacity to develop and implement enterprise policy. This includes the Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (ACSTI) which comes under the aegis of Forfás. An Implementation Group, comprising senior management from my Department, Forfás, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, is overseeing the integration project and will consider all of the legislative, financial and staffing implications that arise from the exercise. A project of this nature would typically take up to 18 months for completion. |
Integration will improve efficiencies/ synergies between the Department and Forfás, but will not lead to immediate financial savings. Potential initial costs of integration (e.g. ensuring compatibility of IT systems) need to be explored by the Implementation Group. Integration of Forfás with DJEI will facilitate improvements in the use of existing resources – the objective is not driven by achieving reductions in WTEs. In any event, the scope for further reduction is severely limited following departure of staff of retirement age in February. |
|
Shannon Development |
The Steering Group and Task Forces which were established following the Government Decisions of the 8th and 29th May have met throughout the summer and have dealt with a large number of issues which will be relevant in setting up the new entity under public ownership. The Steering Group is also addressing issues relating to the re-alignment of tourism functions in the region and enterprise functions in the Free Zone which are currently being carried out by Shannon Development. The Steering Group will report back to Cabinet by year end. |
|
|
Companies Registration Office and the Office of the Registrar of Friendly Societies |
The McCarthy Report suggested that a formal merger of the CRO and RFS would secure additional efficiencies. However, the offices have been ‘de facto’ merged for the past nine years, with the officer designated as the Registrar of Companies also designated as the Registrar of Friendly Societies, and the budget for both offices is a common one. |
No savings arise. |
|
Discover Science and Engineering (DSE) Programme |
As part of the Government’s rationalisation process, the DSE programme with 5 staff transferred from Forfás to Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) with effect from 1st March 2012. There are a lot of synergies and mutual complementarities between DSE and a number of SFI funded activities that support science awareness efforts. The DSE brand is being maintained to be at the forefront of SFI’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics awareness (STEM) activities. |
Work is currently underway in SFI to examine how a range of efficiencies can be delivered. This principally involves an international panel review process which is examining how SFI, through DSE and wider STEM awareness/communications activities can contribute further to the strengthening of capacity for future economic growth. It is too early to quantify precisely the annual cost savings and efficiencies arising as a result of the transfer of DSE to SFI. This will become more apparent after the international panel review completes its work and presents its recommendations in late 2012. |
The annual cost for each Agency in 2012 is set out in the Revised Estimates Volume, which can be found on the website of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform at: http://per.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/Rev-20121.pdf.
The information in respect of new committees and groups of the type outlined by the Deputy that have been set up since I assumed office is set out in Table 2 below. There are no direct costs associated with the establishment of these Committees / Groups.
Table 2:
|
Name of Committee / Group of the type outlined by the Deputy |
Date Established |
|
Copyright Review Committee |
May 2011 |
|
Advisory Group on Small Business |
June 2011 |
|
Cloud Computing Implementation Group |
June 2011 |
|
Steering Group on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Access to Public Procurement |
July 2011 |
|
Research Prioritisation Action Group |
Inaugural meeting 28th March 2012. |
|
Manufacturing Development Forum |
June 2012 |
|
Implementation Working Group on the dissolution of the County & City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) and the establishment of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) |
Inaugural meeting 2nd July 2012 |
|
Games Industry Clustering Development Team |
July 2012 |
