Justice agencies to merge - Ahern

MINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern has confirmed that there will be "amalgamations and mergers" of agencies within the remit of his department.

He declined however to state which agencies were involved or the extent of the changes planned.

"You'll just have to wait and see for the budget," he said.

Mr Ahern said there had been too much concentration on amalgamations which was not the issue.

"The core issue is getting the finances of the country in order in such a way that we can come out of this period mean and lean."

They had to send out a signal that the Government and the State sector "have to be more efficient".

After the annual Fianna Fáil Wolfe Tone commemoration yesterday in Bodenstown, Co Kildare, Mr Ahern said: "There will be amalgamations and mergers. There will be sharing of resources as much as possible and that's as it should be because it's taxpayers' money."

Five agencies were originally under consideration for amalgamation into a one body: the National Disability Authority, the Equality Tribunal, the Equality Authority, the Irish Human Rights Commission and the Office of Data Protection Commissioner.

Doubt was cast last week on such a merger although a "mini merger" was not ruled out. It was suggested that the Minister preferred to make savings through inter-agency co-operation rather than a full-scale merger.

Asked about the agencies, Mr Ahern said: "I think there was too much concentration on amalgamation of agencies and all of that. For all the amount of money that will save we have to send out a signal that we have to, and the State sector has to, be more efficient."

He added: "One thing we did decide at the start of this budgetary process is that as much as possible we would try and sustain people on the edge of society."

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times