The total number of State agencies has almost returned to the peak it reached before a so-called “quango cull” was announced following the 2008 financial crash, information released by Government departments shows.
A “quango” is typically defined as an organisation to which Government departments have devolved some degree of responsibility, and which are, in most cases, funded by the State. Certain agencies, such as AirNav Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, and the Home Building Finance Agency are self-financing and do not receive funding from the State.
When in opposition in the run-up to the 2011 general election, Fine Gael promised a “quango cull” and a “burning of the quangos”, believing there to be far too many in the State.
There were almost 300 such agencies by the time tough austerity measures were announced in 2010.
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A subsequent 2016 review by Dr Richard Boyle for the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) found a net total of 37 agencies had been abolished in the interim. Although 62 had been shut down in total, 25 new agencies were established over the five-year period.
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Of the 62 abolished, just 10 ceased to exist entirely. The other 52 were either merged with another organisation or combined to create new bodies.
However, newly released information shows at least 33 new quangos will have been created between the end of 2015 and the end of 2025. At least four more – including AirNav Ireland, which provides air traffic management – have directly replaced another agency.
In replies to parliamentary questions submitted by Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness, 14 of the 15 Government departments disclosed new quangos established since 2015 (the Department of Health was not in a position to provide the information requested).
The information supplied showed a total of 33 have been created, or planned, across the 15 departments, in addition to four that have been renamed or had their role expanded (including Coimisiún na Meán, the broadcasting and online media regulator, and AirNav Ireland).
The Department of Justice has established the largest number of new agencies with 10 quangos introduced since 2015. They include Cuan (set up in 2024), the agency that deals with domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.
Other new agencies established under the Justice umbrella include the Independent Examiner of Security Legislation, which reviews the effectiveness of related laws; the Office for Community Safety; the Judicial Council; the Legal Services Regulatory Authority; and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland.
While the department could not provide information, several large agencies have been established in the health sector. They include Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) and the Decision Support Service. Two more – a pandemic and emerging threats agency, and the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority – are proposed by the end of 2025.
Other significant agencies created in the past decade include An Coimisiún Toghcháin, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority and Home Building Finance Ireland.
Despite its early objection to “quangos”, Fine Gael’s post-2011 coalition with Labour saw a more modest reduction, with an estimated 13 per cent of agencies abolished during that government’s term in office.
Details of more recent agencies were furnished in replies to a series of parliamentary questions tabled by Mr McGuinness who noted that during his time chairing the Public Accounts Committee, it had been difficult to establish how many there were.
“Many of these quangos are getting enormous amounts of money and because they are one step removed from the department, there is not a direct route to audit their finances by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG),” he said.
“The so-called burning of the quangos never happened. It’s hard to see how many of them are adhering to good practices in terms of governance, as they are not subject to the same scrutiny as Government departments.
“We need legislative change to make the C&AG responsible for all those agencies,” he said.
