Minister to conduct review of ‘rural quangos’

ENVIRONMENT MINISTER Phil Hogan ‘will conduct a root-and-branch review of the country's 'rural quangos' after it emerged that, in some cases, up to one-third of their public funding is being spent on salaries and administration’, the Irish Independent reported this week.

On Tuesday the paper detailed the salaries of the CEO’s of 50 local development companies (LDCs) throughout the country.

Figures - from the Dept of Environment, Heritage and Local Government - revealed by the paper - showed that more than €11m handed to these LDCs is being spent on salaries and administration.

Eleven CEOs of the non-profit companies are earning in excess of €92,000, the salary of an average TD.

According to the figures, the CEO of IRD Duhallow, Maura Walsh, earns €93,926. Carmel Fox of Ballyhoura Development Group has a salary of €91,713 and Valerie Murphy of Avondhu/Blackwater Partnership has a salary of €84,591.

All salaries are compliant with Department guidelines and do not include pension entitlements.

The figures detailed come as Mr Hogan plans to carry out a full review of Ireland's 50 local development companies.

The bodies were identified as local government quangos in Colm McCarthy's An Bord Snip Nua report.

Mr Hogan now wants to align these companies with local authorities – a move that is being opposed by the representative body, the Irish Local Development Network.

In a statement, the Department of the Environment said that local development community committees would now be rolled out across the country in a bid to increase efficiency.

‘At the heart of this change is the desire to achieve better for value for money and to ensure that the maximum amount of funding is spent on community projects and not wasted on unnecessary duplication and administrative costs,’ said the statement.