Latest news with #AirNavIreland
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘Quango Cull': Almost as many State agencies now as in aftermath of financial crash
The total number of State agencies has almost returned to the peak it reached before a so-called 'quango cull' was announced following the 2008 financial crash, information released by Government departments shows. A 'quango' is typically defined as an organisation to which Government departments have devolved some degree of responsibility, and which are, in most cases, funded by the State. Certain agencies, such as AirNav Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, and the Home Building Finance Agency are self-financing and do not receive funding from the State. When in opposition in the run-up to the 2011 general election, Fine Gael promised a 'quango cull' and a 'burning of the quangos', believing there to be far too many in the State. There were almost 300 such agencies by the time tough austerity measures were announced in 2010. READ MORE A subsequent 2016 review by Dr Richard Boyle for the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) found a net total of 37 agencies had been abolished in the interim. Although 62 had been shut down in total, 25 new agencies were established over the five-year period. [ Vow to scrap quangos unashamedly populist Opens in new window ] Of the 62 abolished, just 10 ceased to exist entirely. The other 52 were either merged with another organisation or combined to create new bodies. However, newly released information shows at least 33 new quangos will have been created between the end of 2015 and the end of 2025. At least four more – including AirNav Ireland, which provides air traffic management – have directly replaced another agency. In replies to parliamentary questions submitted by Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness , 14 of the 15 Government departments disclosed new quangos established since 2015 (the Department of Health was not in a position to provide the information requested). The information supplied showed a total of 33 have been created, or planned, across the 15 departments, in addition to four that have been renamed or had their role expanded (including Coimisiún na Meán , the broadcasting and online media regulator, and AirNav Ireland). The Department of Justice has established the largest number of new agencies with 10 quangos introduced since 2015. They include Cuan (set up in 2024), the agency that deals with domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Other new agencies established under the Justice umbrella include the Independent Examiner of Security Legislation, which reviews the effectiveness of related laws; the Office for Community Safety; the Judicial Council; the Legal Services Regulatory Authority; and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland. While the department could not provide information, several large agencies have been established in the health sector. They include Children's Health Ireland (CHI) and the Decision Support Service. Two more – a pandemic and emerging threats agency, and the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority – are proposed by the end of 2025. Other significant agencies created in the past decade include An Coimisiún Toghcháin, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority and Home Building Finance Ireland. Despite its early objection to 'quangos', Fine Gael's post-2011 coalition with Labour saw a more modest reduction, with an estimated 13 per cent of agencies abolished during that government's term in office. Details of more recent agencies were furnished in replies to a series of parliamentary questions tabled by Mr McGuinness who noted that during his time chairing the Public Accounts Committee, it had been difficult to establish how many there were. 'Many of these quangos are getting enormous amounts of money and because they are one step removed from the department, there is not a direct route to audit their finances by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG),' he said. 'The so-called burning of the quangos never happened. It's hard to see how many of them are adhering to good practices in terms of governance, as they are not subject to the same scrutiny as Government departments. 'We need legislative change to make the C&AG responsible for all those agencies,' he said.
Irish Independent
30-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Two out of three staff at AirNav Ireland earn over €100,000
The 2024 annual report for AirNav Ireland shows that 418 of the 642-strong workforce earned over six figures, which included 145 personnel whose salaries were between €150,000 and €200,000. Some 303 staff at AirNav Ireland have the job of air traffic controller, and the report says that last year they successfully managed 'a record-breaking 679,000 flights across en-route and terminal services, and provided voice communications to over 537,000 flights on the North Atlantic'. The report shows that a further 28 members of staff earned between €200,000 and €250,000 per annum. The chief executive, Peter Kearney, received total remuneration of €266,000 made up of a salary of €225,000, €38,000 in pension contributions, and €3,000 in other taxable benefits. Mr Kearney's seven-year term as CEO is due to end in June. Last year's higher staff costs, due to a wage increase and an increase in numbers from 626 to 642, contributed to pre-tax profits at AirNav Ireland declining by 37pc to €12.8m. Revenues increased marginally from €194.49m to €196.79m. The group generates income by charging its airline customers for traffic management services within the 451,000 sq km of Irish airspace. The accounts show that €103.84m was paid out in staff costs, including €78.44m on wages. All staff, apart from the CEO, received a general pay increase of 4.25pc in 2024. AirNav Ireland paid out a dividend of €4.5m to the State last year. It was the first full year of operations following the transfer of air navigation functions from the Irish Aviation Authority. In his report chairperson Bryan Bourke stated: 'Overflights managed within Irish-controlled airspace increased by 3.2pc to over 380,600 flights. Commercial air traffic at Cork, Dublin, and Shannon airports rose by 1.3pc to over 278,300 movements, while flights managed on the North Atlantic saw a 3.5pc increase to over 537,000 flights.' Operating profit for the group was €8.2m, almost half the €16.1m recorded in 2023, principally due to a once-off training cost refund in 2023 of €3m, and lower revenue in North Atlantic communications activities of €2.7m due to a lower customer charge per flight. The profits take account of non-cash depreciation charges of €11.37m and a Met Eireann charge of €8.7m. In 2024, the group generated net cash from operations of €21.8m. At the end of December, AirNav Ireland had shareholder funds of €316.6m that included cash funds of €33.6m.
