Departmental Bodies

Tuesday, 18 November 2025

Questions (387)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

387. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department has undertaken a full audit of the number of statutory agencies, quangos or advisory boards operating under his Department; if he will publish same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63586/25]

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Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

As the Deputy may be aware, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) compiles the Register of Public Sector Bodies in Ireland. The Register lists all the organisations in the State which are classified as “general government” bodies for the purposes of national and government accounts. The Register also lists organisations which, while under public control, are not part of the general government sector but are part of the public sector. The Register contains information on the entity’s name, the name of the parent department (and body if applicable), the entity’s funding structure, and its sector of operation. The CSO register is available at the following link www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-rpbi/registerofpublicsectorbodies2024-provisional/publicsector/

The effectiveness and efficiency of delivering public services through public bodies is a key concern of Government. It is of utmost importance that the structural organisation of all public bodies that make up the State are managed to provide value for money and that statutory public bodies are wound down if they have delivered their public good or if their services are better delivered by another entity.

As set out in The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies each Department must carry out a timely Periodical Critical Review (PCR) of the performance and governance of State bodies under their ambit. A key focus of the PCR is to ensure the continued relevance and role of the body, having regard to ongoing changes in the external environment, Government objectives and other factors. Where the role of the body remains relevant, the PCR provides an opportunity for an external assessment to consider whether performance can be improved.