THE DEPARTMENT OF Justice has started to offload some of the agencies under its remit after criticisms were levelled over its operation and management issues.
The agencies affected will be Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Valuation Office and the Property Registration Office.
The Taoiseach heavily criticised the department over the handling of emails relating to what the former Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald knew and did in relation to the Garda Commissioner’s legal strategy against whistleblower Maurice McCabe.
The additional emails, which ultimately resulted in the Tánaiste’s resignation, were only discovered after Leo Varadkar ordered a second trawl of documents in the department. It was also discovered that the emails had not been sent to the Charleton Tribunal.
Following the revelations, the Taoiseach ordered an external expert, a barrister, to investigate the matter. He also ordered a review of the 2014 Toland Report into reforms of the department.
The 2014 report, which reviewed the functionality of the department, was highly critical of its management.
It cited that in recent years the department had been stretched by its increasing workload and new agencies it had taken on, as well as the heavy burden of legislation.
The Toland report said the department had continued to take on new agencies, without putting sufficient structures in place to govern them.
“The department’s business model has involved a proliferation of agencies without sufficiently rigorous systems of oversight, addressing the measurement of their performance and ensuring that they are held to account for outputs / outcomes,” stated the report.
Left to gather dust
The report didn’t gather much traction and, like many government reports before it, was left on the shelf to gather dust.
With the resurfacing of the Toland report, it’s understood it has been decided to fast-track the removal of the responsibility of some agencies from the Justice Department.
Ordnance Survey Ireland together with the Valuation Office are merging with the Property Registration Authority to form a new governing body known as Tailte Éireann.
All three are currently under the auspices of the Justice Department.
The Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan secured approval for Tailte Éireann at this week’s Cabinet meeting.
It is understood the new organisation will be governed by a statutory board which will report to the minister.
The legislation establishing the new organisation is currently being drafted and it will make provision for the appointment and terms of operation of the board.
Transferring of staff
The minister has also confirmed that the staff of the new organisation, headed by a chief executive officer, will be civil servants. Around 1,000 staff are due to be transferred from other agencies.
However, these decisions are subject to the establishment of legislation during its passage through the Oireachtas.
The establishment of the new body has been in the works for a number of years, with government stating that the benefits will result in financial savings and public sector reform.
When established, Tailte Éireann will be responsible for providing the authoritative property registration system, national mapping and surveying infrastructure and property valuation service for the State.
Toland also advised splitting the department into separate Justice and Home Affairs portfolios.
Justice would include civil and criminal law reform, crime and security, and international policy, while Home Affairs should include policing, courts, and prisons.
While the announcement this week that Táilte Eireann is to now be established, it is still unknown if the splitting up of the department, as per the report’s recommendations, will also be carried out.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say