Lunch with Harney puts merger on menu for State agencies

Tanaiste Mary Harney has had a few interesting lunch dates this week. Not long after moving into office the Minister for Enterprise, Employment and Trade made clear her intention to review the State agencies under her control and, more importantly, the services they deliver. This week, she has been lunching in their boardrooms.

After meeting the board of the Irish Trade Board on Wednesday, Ms Harney moved on the next day to Forfas, the umbrella body which oversees policy in the different agencies. She told both that no decisions had been made.

One question facing the Tanaiste is whether to merge the Irish Trade Board and Forbairt, as recommended in the original Culliton report. Those with long memories will remember that this is precisely what a former minister in the Department - Des O'Malley - wanted to do after Culliton was published. But a row with Fianna Fail led to a compromise solution involving the creation of Forfas and leaving the Irish Trade Board as it was.

Now another PD Minister has the chance to address the question. The Margin's mole tells us that the meeting with the Irish Trade Board was a pleasant affair but that sparks may yet fly between the Tanaiste and board chairman and Fine Gael appointee, Sean Murray.