FINE GAEL is proposing a cull of State agencies designed to save the taxpayer €200 million over four years, while improving the efficiency of the public service, party leader Enda Kenny announced yesterday.
He was speaking at the launch of a policy document, Streamlining Government, prepared by the party's spokesman on enterprise and employment, Leo Varadkar.
It proposes the abolition of 13 State bodies and the merger of 26 others into 11 new bodies.
Of these 11 bodies, four would share facilities and seven would become obsolete over the next decade.
"We can save €200 million of taxpayers' money over the coming four years by implementing Fine Gael's proposals to streamline the number of agencies and quangos that are duplicating existing work or providing very poor value for money," said Mr Kenny.
Mr Varadkar said that as well as streamlining the plethora of agencies that exist under Fine Gael, any proposed new agency would have to face strict criteria of evaluation before it is established.
"There has been an explosion in the number of State agencies, boards, authorities, committees and quangos. There are now almost 500 operating at national Government level with 500 more at regional and local level," he said.
Over 200 have been set up since the current government came to power in 1997, and they have committed in their programme for government to establishing at least 17 more."
He said that the creation of new State agencies had become a default policy option for Government Ministers.
"Rather than tackling a problem head-on, devising good policies and driving their implementation, Ministers cop out by setting up a new agency.
Streamlining Governmentwill also reverse the slow, unyielding diminution of democracy that has occurred under Fianna Fáil, by making agencies reply to Dáil questions, have their chairmen and CEOs confirmed by Oireachtas committee and publish the minutes of board meetings."
Mr Varadkar added that he was also recommending the vetting, by Oireachtas committee, of high-level appointments by Ministers to State boards. Such appointments would include chief executive officers of State companies and State agency chairpersons.
State agencies should also be accountable to the Oireachtas through parliamentary questions and powerful Oireachtas committees.