Howlin unclear on number of quangos

The number of quangos remains unknown as the minister in charge of reform admitted that some only meet every few years.

Brendan Howlin, the public expenditure minister, said the number of quangos or state agencies could number anywhere between 150 and 250.

However, opposition politicians queried how nearly 50 agencies would be cut this year — as promised by the Government — if ministers could not even add up the total number of them.

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald said she had obtained one list from officials that totalled 150 agencies and another with 250. She said it was “astonishing” that Mr Howlin did not have a final list of agencies.

Mr Howlin agreed. “Some bodies on the deputy’s list of 250 have not met for years,” he said.

“When we talk about quangos or agencies and not having comprehensive lists, we need to understand some of them are very tiny, which meet to perform specific functions under legislation, some dating back decades, while others are very important,” he said.

“We know all the important agencies which we need to rationalise. We need to have a comprehensive list and we are working on it.”

Mr Howlin also revealed the Government had no intention of invoking an emergency clause about the state’s financial troubles in order to change the Croke Park agreement.

Mr Howlin said the second review of the agreement would be carried out after Easter.

He said: “Paragraph 1.28 of the Croke Park Agreement states: ‘The implementation of this agreement is subject to no currently unforeseen budgetary deterioration.’

“While I do not wish to speculate about what might happen into the future, I have no proposals to invoke that clause.”

He also said no fixed figure had been agreed with the troika about how much from the sale of state assets would go to job creation.

While at least €2bn in assets are expected to be sold, it remains unclear how much of the funds raised will go to jobs as well as the writedown of debt.

The troika and Government had only agreed on an amount for jobs as being “sizeable”, Mr Howlin said.

Enda Kenny later told the Dáil there was a “great deal of interest being expressed” by the private sector in state assets that might be sold, but insisted the Government had “no intention of selling the Irish taxpayer short”.

He said strategic assets such as transmission lines or gas pipes would not be sold. The Government would consider selling only non-strategic assets, Mr Kenny told Fianna Fáil deputy leader Éamon Ó Cuív.

The troika want to see an “extended list of assets” that might be sold, Mr Kenny said, which suggests the Government will need to sell more than anticipated if it wants to invest in job creation initiatives.

Sources have already indicated that the troika is willing to allow investment in jobs if the Government sells over €2bn of assets. The Government would be allowed use the excess over €2bn for investment, the sources indicated.