PLANS TO FORM a single board to oversee the work of the National Museum and National Library will save the exchequer over €600,000 a year, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has claimed.
Under the plans, announced last year, a single statutory Advisory Council would do the work currently carried out by the two boards.
Asked by Fianna Fáil’s Seán Ó’Fearghail to outline the savings that would be achieved by the plan, Jimmy Deenihan said that much of the savings would lie in sharing services.
“[As] board fees totalling over €80,000 were paid out to members of these boards in 2012, direct recurring annual savings of that order will be made as a result.
Savings of approximately €200,000 are expected to be achieved in staff costs, with a further €350,000 in savings to be achieved through additional shared services.
Deenihan added that the decision was not just made on monetary grounds.
“The decision taken by Government in relation to the National Library and National Museum is not solely focussed on monetary savings but also on creating efficiencies and streamlining services and structures.”
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