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Which government departments could we do without?

  • 15-10-2010 06:11PM
    #1
    Grimreaper666
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭


    There seem to be a lot of them that are just blowing taxpayer money and could really be done without or at least put on hold until things pick up in the economy. Desperate measures for desperate times and all that. Wouldn't it be nice for them to experience a bit of pain first hand for a change?


«1

Comments

  • #2
    FunkZ
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,179 ✭✭✭FunkZ


    I believe before the HSE was formed there were four different health groups, and since it's formation they've kept on all four CEO. They could start by cutting that down a shade?

    I could be wrong.



  • #3
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 36,733 CMod ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Foreign Affairs? We cannot afford "affairs" for our politicians until times get better.


  • #4
    Kimono-Girl
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,160 ✭✭✭Kimono-Girl


    *insert standard AH reply*

    all of them?


  • #5
    Arnold Layne
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 978 ✭✭✭Arnold Layne


    An Taoiseach and Finance since the EU (& possibly the IMF) control these


  • #6
    orourkeda
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,916 ✭✭✭✭orourkeda


    Blue_Lagoon wrote: »
    Foreign Affairs? We cannot afford "affairs" for our politicians until times get better.

    In fairness the department of foreign affairs has its place.


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  • #7
    johngalway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,271 ✭✭✭✭johngalway


    While we certainly can't do without it, the Dept of Ag. is most certainly over staffed. Too many bored types in there dreaming up nonsense!


  • #8
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 36,733 CMod ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    orourkeda wrote: »
    In fairness the department of foreign affairs has its place.
    Perhaps they could hire former US president Bill Clinton to head the department? He has extensive experience in the conduct of "affairs."


  • #9
    Grimreaper666
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭Grimreaper666


    orourkeda wrote: »
    In fairness the department of foreign affairs has its place.

    Yeah, in Siberia..........


  • #10
    Grimreaper666
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭Grimreaper666


    johngalway wrote: »
    While we certainly can't do without it, the Dept of Ag. is most certainly over staffed. Too many bored types in there dreaming up nonsense!

    They're at that in most departments, the amount of red tape now is staggering, they've obviously never had to work in the real world.


  • #11
    rainbowtrout
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,532 ✭✭✭✭rainbowtrout


    FunkZ wrote: »
    I believe before the HSE was formed there were four different health groups, and since it's formation they've kept on all four CEO. They could start by cutting that down a shade?

    I could be wrong.

    There were even more: 8 health boards reduced to 4 HSE administrative regions, don't think anyone lost their jobs though.


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  • #12
    the purple tin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭the purple tin


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZlBUglE6Hc


  • #13
    Son Of A Vidic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,370 ✭✭✭✭Son Of A Vidic


    rainbowtrout wrote: »
    There were even more: 8 health boards reduced to 4 HSE administrative regions, don't think anyone lost their jobs though.

    An Irish solution to an Irish problem indeed, to be seen to be doing something - yet doing nothing!


  • #14
    PAULWATSON
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 589 ✭✭✭PAULWATSON


    Look, face facts.

    You are the peasants, you pay the bills.


  • #15
    mp22
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Regional South Moderators Posts: 6,854 Mod ✭✭✭✭mp22


    overseas aid save 6oo+ million


  • #16
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 86,596 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    GDY151


    Office of Tobacco Control, this would save €2.5 million a year, they basically tell us what we already know, smoking is bad. The HSE should be respnsible for this instead.


  • #17
    KindOfIrish
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 454 ✭✭KindOfIrish


    Outsourcing is the solution. We can definitely outsource some of the Departments for much lower cost.


  • #18
    Nolanger
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,556 ✭✭✭Nolanger


    Department of Sport - what a waste of money!


  • #19
    CreepingDeath
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,015 ✭✭✭CreepingDeath


    The department of defence clearly, nobody is going to invade us now we're in the EU.


  • #20
    Marcus.Aurelius
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,314 ✭✭✭Marcus.Aurelius


    Department of Equality, Community Affairs and the Gaeltacht (Just get rid of it!!)
    Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food - Scrap the FSAI, the Aid/Grants section (outsource to EU)
    Department of Tourism & Sport (Scrap)
    Department of Defence (Scrap completely)
    Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (move to Finance)

    Amalgamate Dept of Enterprise, Trade & Innovation with the Department of Education & Skills.


  • #21
    Sizzler
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,430 ✭✭✭Sizzler


    After Hours reader, I give you...

    Bord Iascaigh Mhara....annual cost to joe taxpayer?

    €120 m

    Cost of offices for said quango as part of decentralisation?

    €20 m

    Do we really need to píss this level of money up against the wall to be told to eat fish? FFS.

    We have a department of agriculture, get an intern in and let them look after this, same same.


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  • #22
    Jesus Wept
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,243 ✭✭✭✭Jesus Wept


    Department of Defense.


  • #23
    bleg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,847 ✭✭✭bleg


    Department of Health. It does nothing. Any time they're asked to account for anything they say "We are monitoring the situation but cannot issue any comment at this current time. That's a matter for the HSE."


  • #24
    the purple tin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭the purple tin


    Most of those depts are surplus. It's just jobs for the boys(or girls).


  • #25
    Ostrom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,483 ✭✭✭Ostrom


    Education. 4 million has been saved since last year by abolishing the governing authority of the NUI. Sensible, graded introduction of fees with with long-term payment options would allow the state to devolve power to individual institutions. Which in turn would offer incentive to management to resist union intervention, remove deadweight, and instill some healthy competition. Save millions, reform administration, and offer fair terms to the high proportion of contract staff doing the groundwork.


  • #26
    starbelgrade
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,739 ✭✭✭✭starbelgrade


    I don't think you can get rid of entire departments, but I definitely think that many need to be scaled down.. planning departments in County & Town Councils would be a big one.

    I was in the Town Council planning office in Ballina the other day - they have about 15 full time staff working there. God knows what they are doing.. it's a relatively big town, but there's fuck all people making planning applications to justify that amount of staff.


  • #27
    mikerowsopht
    Closed Accounts Posts: 283 ✭✭mikerowsopht


    I would get rid of the following departments in the following order:

    Department Of Fisheries & Food
    Department Of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources
    Department Of Community, Equality & Gaeltacht Affairs
    Department Of Defence
    Department Of Education & Skills
    Department Of Enterprise, Trade & Innovation
    Department Of Environment, Heritage & Local Government
    Department Of Finance
    Department Of Foreign Affairs
    Department Of Health & Children
    Department Of Justice & Law Reform
    Department Of Social Protection
    Department Of Tourism, Culture & Sport
    Department Of Transport
    Department Of the Taoiseach

    Then I would get rid of FF and jail them all.

    I would force Mary Harney to have a stomach staple.
    I would then export her stomach contents to Africa to save the poor.

    Bertie - get a bank account
    Cowen - get some accountancy skills and for gods sake get some plastic surgery - as a tax payer I am willing to cover this cost
    Harney - loose some weight, you are our health minister u fat twat !!
    Will O'Dea - stop pointing guns at people
    Noel Dempsey - transport minister - get a driving license


    I would get all the developers that legged it extradited
    Once convicted I would have them anally-raped for the next 20 yrs

    Let Anglo fall over, f**k em

    blah, blah, rant, rant


  • #28
    rugbug86
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,335 ✭✭✭rugbug86


    I don't think there should be a loss in departments - just a cull in staff.

    Most departments in most state/semi state organisations have a major surplus in staff. There's people sitting doing nothing all day long that get paid to do it, just because they can't be gotten-rid-of. Especially in admin.

    So what I'd do is start with admin - cut the number of people working there by half. And take it from there. Take each department then on a case-by-case basis - some places, such as the dole office, need all the staff they can get because they're out the door busy, but others just don't need all the people that work there!


  • #29
    fatboypee
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 958 ✭✭✭fatboypee


    Ya know what (as the General Public) we should do tho (innit ;) ) is as follows:

    Create a review as part of the budget NOW to assess wastage in the public sector.
    Step 1: Identify current Actual Service Levels.

    Step 2: Make Every AO, SAO, EO & SEO + graded person list their duties and responsibilities.

    Step 3: Make every person in every department that is deemed administrative re-apply for their jobs.

    Step 5: Make every person in every department that is deemed administrative at ALL levels clock in and clock out.

    Step 6: Review Stepped data to identify:

    a) manning levels
    b) duplicity / role overlap
    c) activity cover

    Step 6: Send a percentage of staff at each level home for 2 weeks paid leave and monitor each departments SLA drop.

    Step 7: Review data obtained from step 6, identifying where reductions were required and as it comes to it, increases in staff.

    I personally have experience of SEVERAL different public sector admin departments in terms of working closely with them. Overworked is certainly NOT a term I would associate with any of them, at any level...


  • #30
    R0ot
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,473 ✭✭✭R0ot


    RSA.


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  • #31
    Johnny Utah
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,153 ✭✭✭Johnny Utah


    R0ot wrote: »
    RSA.

    I already said that.....

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055973641




    And from that thread:


    RSA thread wrote: »
    Number of Staff in RSA 170

    Wages and expenses for 2009 were 5,436000 and 351000 respectively

    Average Wage of someone working for the RSA in 2009 was E31,976. Average expenses were E2064

    They spent 1609000 on capital expenditure e.g. road signs etc

    They spent 55,948,000 on current expenditure e.g. advertising.

    Total expenditure for 2009 was 66,189,000.



    Expensive for some road safety adverts! :eek:


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