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Last Updated: Tuesday, 15 February 2011 16:50

The number of education agencies or quangos has increased dramatically in the past decade. But what do these agencies do? And how do they pay their staff? PETER McGUIRE and SEÁN FLYNN report

LATE LAST year The Irish Times revealed how over 60 staff in the education sector earn more than €150,000 per year. A further 476 staff earn more than €110,000. In all, 497 people are on the professorial salary scale, €113,00-€145,000.

The top earner was Prof Des Fitzgerald, vice-president for research at UCD, who earns over €263,000.

The high earnings were revealed at a time when the education service is coming to terms with severe cutbacks. Programmes for the disadvantaged and services for special needs children have been scaled back. Deeper cuts are expected over the next three years.

Last year, the McCarthy, or the Bord Snip Nua, report recommended a culling of the various education quangos. Many, the report said, could be re-integrated back into the Department of Education or completely abolished. This would save money and provide a better service – a win-win for the taxpayer.

But the expected “Bonfire of the Quangos” never took place in last year’s budget. Last week Fine Gael said it would abolish 150 quangos across the State sector.

The agencies say they are providing an essential service at very cost-efficent rates. They stress how they can make decisions free from day-to-day political pressures and bureaucracy – and use the the best available expertise. In this, the second article in The Irish Times ’ education pay survey we examine pay levels in these agencies. This information was compiled over several months.

Many agencies co-operated fully with this survey but others were unwilling to provide information on pay and pension payments to The Irish Times, despite being fully funded by the taxpayer.

What are the main findings?

 

Full Story: www.irishtimes.com