Where will the snips occur?

TEACHER'S PET:The education sector is holding its collective breath in advance of the report from "An Bord Snip Nua" – the Government task force seeking deep cuts across the public sector. The group is headed by economist Colm McCarthy, late of DKM consultants, who was appointed to the UCD economics department in 2005.

McCarthy will identify areas for possible cuts; their feasibility will then be considered by Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe, secretary general Brigid McManus, assistant secretary Martin Hanevy and other top department staff.

Imposing a fresh round of cuts will not be easy, given the protests over the Budget last year. The INTO-led campaign managed to mobilise more than 100,000 to engage in public protests. But even this failed to secure a U-turn on the key Budget cut, the increase in class size. Last week, the INTO executive resolved to keep up the fight. In ordinary circumstances, it would be difficult to see how the campaign could possibly maintain momentum, but the next round of cuts will give it fresh impetus.

So who is in the firing line of An Bord Snip Nua? Clearly, teachers’ pay and pensions, which account for the bulk of education spending, are top of the agenda. Over 50,000 teachers could be looking at an effective pay pause until at least 2011, not to mention those threatened changes to pensions.

Others who will be feeling nervous are those in the various education quangos.

The VEC sector could also be vulnerable. The whole notion of individual vocational education committees, each with their own corporate structure, has been criticised as too expensive and unwieldy. Will An Bord Snip Nua wield the axe?