Fine Gael defends plan for new State agencies

FINE GAEL has defended the number of State bodies it has promised to introduce if returned to power - despite the party also pledging it would achieve better value for money than the current Government.

In a joint policy document published with Labour in March, Fine Gael promised to review existing State agencies if elected to office. The goal would be to eliminate waste.

"A major review should be undertaken of existing agencies to establish the scope for consolidation and sharing of services," the document stated.

Key questions, the parties added, would be whether individual agencies were still needed, or whether their functions could be performed by another body or department.

The aim of the document was to ensure better use of taxpayers' money.

Yet in that same document, Fine Gael and Labour proposed the establishment of a Critical Infrastructure Commission "to analyse key infrastructural priorities"; a Public Buying Office "to manage public procurement"; an Estimates Strategy Group "to ensure that the Estimates reflect strategic priorities"; and a Central Support Network for departmental "programme evaluation".

The following day, the parties launched a joint policy on caring for Irish immigrants. In it, they proposed the establishment of an Agency for the Irish Abroad.

This week, Fine Gael published its latest policy document, this time on alternative agency.

The party proposed the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Alternative Energy and a Public Transport Regulator.

But it has defended the number of new bodies and agencies it is proposing.

A party statement said: "The Centre of Excellence [for Alternative Energy] would be located within an existing institute of technology and would incorporate an existing agency, Sustainable Energy Ireland.

"We estimate an additional cost of €10 million over four years.

"The new State regulator for transport, unveiled within the earlier transport policy 'A Better Route', would operate within the Dublin Transportation Authority.

"The Central Support Network would not be agencies, but a unit within the Department of Finance using existing staff.

"The Agency for the Irish Abroad would be a new agency, but would be under the aegis of the Department of Foreign Affairs and would utilise existing staff."

The party also stressed that the review it is proposing with Labour would find where savings could be made.

"Fine Gael has called for a review of the 600-plus State agencies in order to establish the scope for consolidation and sharing of services such as IT, HR or finance."