Agency ‘confused’ about its purpose

A State agency responsible for administering €300m in local development programmes is confused about its purpose and who is responsible for which roles, a review has found.

Pobal, which administers funding schemes such as the Rural Transport Programme, Early Childhood Care and Education Programme, and the RAPID programme for disadvantaged areas, also has too many offices and high administrative costs.

Ironically, for a body trusted with evaluating funding programmes, the review also found: “It is difficult to judge Pobal’s effectiveness as an organisation because it does not yet report on the impact of its own activities.”

The review, by the Government’s Central Expenditure Evaluation Unit, found Pobal managed payments and programmes worth over €300m to almost 5,000 entities on behalf of five Government departments.

It said this multiplicity of schemes and departments “has served to confuse its precise purpose and role”. “There is a lack of clarity regarding the distribution of roles and responsibilities,” it states. “This hinders proper accountability.”

It warns: “Clarity as to what Pobal’s role should be and how it can best add value in the processing, management and monitoring of State funding, is urgently required.”

Staff numbers at the agency have been cut by a third since 2008 but the review says the average salary rose from €45,000 to €50,000 in the same period.

It says at least €1m in savings could be made in the medium term by measures including staffing changes and reducing the number of regional offices.

Connacht, which accounts for 22% of Pobal- administered grants, has three offices, while Munster, which accounts for 23% of grants, has just one.

The departments of environment, children and youth affairs, and social protection all defended Pobal’s relevance.