The Qango thread

[muppet]

The way I see it the Republic has two serious financial problems. Massive debt thanks to the Government guaranteeing the private banks, and the budget deficit. Accountant types would probably refer to them as the Balance Sheet problem and the Profit & Loss problem.

The Bailout thread is covering the banks, the EU, IMF and the international financial crisis. But I think there is scope for a thread on our Profit & Loss and in particular how our Government wastes taxpayers money. Seeing a they immediately have gone back to the taxpayer (also reducing social welfare and pensions) to bail out the banks, I think we should attack the waste of our money. No harm in having some of this information for the canvassers. For example, someone I know who works for the HSE told me it costs around €7,000 a month to put one child into state care. That, if true, would cost €84,000 per child per annum!

Not all Quangos are a waste, some are vital. Not all those who serve on Quangos are a waste of money either, some are dedicated and productive. However if a proportion of them are inefficient and if there is evidence of waste then those institutions should be scrapped or at least merged with better organisations.

[muppet]

Quango 1:

Just before he resigned, according to Shane Ross in Wasters, Bertie reckoned we weren't happy enough. I think I recall him wondering why people who were pessimistic about the economy didn't commit suicide. To deal with this he set up the Taskforce on Active Citizenship.

From their website: The Taskforce on Active Citizenship was established to advise the Government on the steps that can be taken to ensure that the wealth of civic spirit and active participation already present in Ireland continues to grow and develop.
The Taskforce conducted a nationwide consultation process to hear your views on what it means to be an active citizen in 21st century Ireland and produced a set of recommendations in its final report in March, 2007.  To access those recommendations, see the Report of the Taskforce on Active Citizenship below.

People who have served on the above Taskforce (check the members link on the website) include former Gaa President Sean Kelly, former PD TD Bobby Molloy, Secretary General at the Department of An Taoiseach Dermot McCarthy and National College of Ireland boss Joyce O'Connor (Sean Fitzpatrick's sister). In 06/07 this body cost €383,000. For what?

[muppet]

Quango 2: NESDO (National Economic and Social Development Office)

From their website: NESDO's Role

Following the dissolution of the NESF and NCPP, the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO) continues to provide administration and support services for the NESC, and to submit to Government all reports, recommendations and conclusions arising from any projects carried out by the NESC . It also arranges for the publication of such items.

In their 2009 report they outline the findings of their FutureIreland project.

Finding 1: In Ireland new forms of cross-over, overlap and cross-fertilisation between the economy, society and public governance are increasingly evident, enhancing the ability to learn and innovate.

Finding 2: Innovation and learning are systematic, almost always combining initiative, disciplined review and a willingness to confront challenges at three levels—namely, institutional, inter-personal and personal.
Disciplined and systematic review was the critical component in all of the evidence considered. This refers to a range of techniques and processes used by innovators to monitor what they do and to link this with ways of improving and changing what they do. The process was usually wary of superficial explanations and, through a search for root causes of failure and success, it sought out the change that would work, be it minor or radical.

Finding 3: Systematic disciplined review provided the basis for both inno- vation and accountability, which is particularly relevant in a period when we seek more stability and accountability and yet face radical change.

Finding 4: The kind of innovation and learning found cannot flourish, and cannot yield its full harvest without profound change to our organisational systems, particularly our systems of control and accountability.


They also produced other reports and people really should have a look at what these people produce. The Chief of this organisation is Dr. Rory O'Donnell. Mr. Dermot McCarthy of the department of An Taoiseach and Mr. Peter Cassells also sit on the Board.

The Board of the NESC which was joined with the NESDO in 2010 included Peter McCloone (IMPACT) , David Begg (ICTU), Tom Parlon (former PD TD), Jack O'Connor (SIPTU).

The Board of the NESF which was also joined with the NESDO in 2010 includes a host of politicians from different parties along with Mr Eamon Devoy TEEU, Mr Blair Horan CPSU,   Mr Jerry Shanahan AMICUS, Mr Manus O'Riordan SIPTU and Ms Esther Lynch ICTU.

Both of the above boards are loaded with many familiar and semi-familiar names from the business world, notably IBEC and the CIF.

The cost of the above to the State in 2009 seems to be around €3.5 Million of which €2.2 Million were wages and salaries. The average number of employees seems to have been 24.

The accounts contain the following note: The Board members, Mr Peter Cassells and Dr Maureen Gaffney received €81,986 and €81,146 respectively as remuneration for the year ended 31 December 2009 in respect of their positions as Executive Chairs of the NCPP and NESF respectively. The above remunerations are in accordance with the National Economic and Social Developments Act. The chair of the Board, Mr Dermot McCarthy, did not receive any remuneration in this period.

According to Shane Ross Dr. O'Donnell gets €150,000 p/a for heading the boards of the NESC and NESDO.

[Peter Solan the Great]

Bord Gais Eireann
An Colite
Bord na mona
CIE

[ludermor]

GPA

[bcarrier]

A decent effort here ...

http://thestory.ie/about/

dedicated to sharing documents, combing and combining data and promoting transparency in public life: An experiment in journalism and crowdsourcing hoping to shed light on the government. If you're spending the Irish taxpayers' money, you're on the radar.

[muppet]

A decent effort here ...

http://thestory.ie/about/

dedicated to sharing documents, combing and combining data and promoting transparency in public life: An experiment in journalism and crowdsourcing hoping to shed light on the government. If you're spending the Irish taxpayers' money, you're on the radar.

Great site. The first thing I found on it was 'The Glackin Report'. I had heard of it but wasn't sure it really existed, a bit like UFOs & humility in Brian Lenihan.

[muppet]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1209/skill.html

PAC may interview former SIPTU boss
Updated: 12:06, Friday, 10 December 2010

Former SIPTU general secretary Billy Attley is being invited to attend the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee to be questioned about foreign travel spending on a SKILL training programme he chaired.

SKILL got €790k from local authority body
Former SIPTU general secretary Billy Attley is being invited to attend the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee on Thursday as the Committee resumes its examination of controversial foreign travel spending from the €60m SKILL training programme chaired by him.
Mr Attley has already written to the PAC saying that he had no responsibility for financial matters at SKILL, and that the role of the board was limited to rolling out training for lower grades in the health sector.
SKILL was set-up eight years ago to provide training for lower grades in the health sector.
Earlier this year, it emerged that almost €2.5m had been channelled from the €60m SKILL budget via the HSE to an account called the SIPTU National Health and Local Authority Levy fund.
A HSE internal audit established that much of the money was used to fund over 30 foreign trips to destinations including America, Australia, Hong Kong, and Britain.
Officials from SIPTU, the HSE, the Department of Health, the Department of Finance and certain local authority bodies participated in the trips.
The matter came to public attention when the HSE referred it to the gardaí for investigation.
SIPTU has repeatedly stated that it knew nothing about the account, though it has now taken control of it.
The signatories on the account were SIPTU Health Division Official Matt Merrigan - currently on sick leave - and shop steward Jack Kelly.
A number of reports into the controversial funds are currently awaited.
The Health Service Executive has commissioned former IBEC Director General Turlough O'Sullivan to examine the HSE's role in the matter.
Meanwhile, two trustees of SIPTU are carrying out an internal union investigation into the background to the controversial account.
Separately, the signatories to the account - Matt Merrigan and Jack Kelly - have commissioned Grant Thornton accountants to prepare a report into the matter.
It is understood that the Public Accounts Committee will be writing to both the HSE and SIPTU requesting access to these reports ahead of next week's PAC meeting.
Internal investigations have also been carried in the Department of Finance and the Department of Health.

[muppet]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1210/hsnpf.html

HSE finds serious irregularities in HSNPF
Updated: 19:04, Friday, 10 December 2010

A HSE internal audit report has uncovered serious irregularities in a body called the Health Services National Partnership Forum - including extensive expenditure on foreign travel.


HSE - Audit uncovers irregularites in HSNPF
A HSE internal audit report has uncovered serious irregularities in a body called the Health Services National Partnership Forum - including extensive expenditure on foreign travel.
The findings echo a similar controversy involving the €60m SKILL training fund earlier this year - where money was channelled to a SIPTU named account, which SIPTU said it knew nothing about.
The HSNPF's total income between 1999 and 2009 was over €41m.
However, the audit reveals serious deficiencies in how that money was managed - including an incident where cheques were signed by an official rather than the authorised signatory.
It identifies over €1m paid out to trade unions between 2003 and 2008.
In total SIPTU received €924,963 from one fund - the Action Plan for People Management.
This money was paid into the SIPTU National Health and Local Authority Levy account - which SIPTU said was not one of its accounts.
It notes that three payments totalling €700,000 were paid to SIPTU - some of which was passed on to other unions.
Following contact from the Internal Audit team, four unions confirmed that they had received but not yet spent the funds, and to date over €250,000 has been refunded to the HSE.
The audit says: "It is not clear why HSNPF breached its own procedure by agreeing to pay over funds in bulk to SIPTU for SIPTU to disburse the funds to other unions and itself, without any evidence that claims had been submitted and properly validated without any account of how the funding of €925,000 was expended."
A total of 21 foreign trips were undertaken by members of the forum at a cost of €146,480.
€154,474 was spent on links with American health projects in New York.
The audit noted that significant amounts of expenditure on the HSNPF director's credit card were incurred for travel, hotels and restaurants.
It criticised the fact that the credit card statements were self certified.
Proper procurement processes were not always adhered to - and documentation and records were inadequte.
Grants totalling E13,380m were paid to various health agencies- but the audit states that some activity did not seem to be wholly partnership relevant - adding that the organisations should have taken them on as part of day to day activities.

[muppet]

Just looking at the http://www.hsnpf.ie/ mentioned above.

It got €41 Million over 10 years from the State for:

Mission Statement

Working Together for a Better Health Service enables a new active relationship in managing change characterised by employee participation and consultation, the development of joint objectives, co-operation and trust and the delivery of patient-focused quality Health Services.

Here are the members of the HSNPF: http://www.hsnpf.ie/subnav.aspx?pid=aboutUs&sid=forummembers

How would you say they have done in the last 10 years?

[muppet]

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/taxpayers-forked-out-euro91000-for-groups-travels-2459529.html

A GROUP set up to improve the "working partnership" between council officials and unions paid for trips to Canada, the US and Spain at a cost to the taxpayer of €91,000.

Those on the trips included local authority officials, civil servants from the Department of the Environment, a county manager and members of SIPTU, IMPACT, the TEEU and other trade unions.

Another day another Qango spending taxpayers money on trips abroad for the usual suspects.
check out the LANPAG website:

The Local Authority National Partnership Advisory Group (LANPAG) supports the implementation of workplace partnership in the local government sector in Ireland.

The overall goal of workplace partnership is to replace the confrontational approach to change with an open and co-operative process where there is consultation and participation. The aim is to create positive outcomes for all those involved: management, employees, unions and the public who use local authority services.

LANPAG was given €4,250,000 by two Government Departments last year. It's Board is made up of County Council Managers and Trade Union leaders.

[sammymaguire]

Are you missing a u in Quango? It's all about looking after your buddies as much as you can

[Lecale2]

Trade Union leaders appear to do well out of "Social Partnership".

[muppet]

Are you missing a u in Quango? It's all about looking after your buddies as much as you can

I think it doesn't have a 'U' as it is an acronym like Qantas. But I am open to correction.

[5 Sams]

Are you missing a u in Quango? It's all about looking after your buddies as much as you can

I think it doesn't have a 'U' as it is an acronym like Qantas. But I am open to correction.

You're right Muppet..Quasi Autonomous Non Governmental Organisation