Budget Cuts and Mergers

Suzy brings up an interesting point on the White Paper/Estimates and the budget cut for government agencies. Mergers and abolitions are taking place in 41 agencies and budget cuts/logistic sharing is the order of the day as well.

However some have fared better than others.

The Equality Authority’s budget has been cut by 43% and the Irish Human Rights Commission has been cut by 24% – but the National Disability Authority has only been cut by 2%. There is something very fishy going on there – a case of not rocking the boat and thus you don’t get cut??

A sharing of backservices by the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission could not possibly save that much money – there will be policy implications with these cuts, monitoring and protection of the rights of the most at risk in Irish society have been put at risk.

Look at the table of cuts – the NDA’s drop of 2% and mergering of other bodies to it seems to stand out as quite the oddity.

B.2 – Human Rights Commission 24% Cut
E.1 – Equality Authority 43% Cut
E.2 – Equality Tribunal 15% Increase
E.3 – Grants to National Women’s Organisations 5% Cut
E.5 – Cosc – Domestic, Sexual AND Gender-Based Violence 18% Cut
E.6 – Equality Monitoring/Consultative Committee 8% Cut
E.7 – Gender Mainstreaming And Postive Action for Women …. 45% Cut
E.8 – Office of The Minister for Integration 26% Cut

F.1 – Status of People With Disabilities 5 % Cut
F.2 – National Disability Authority 2% Cut
F.3 – Disability Projects 10% Cut