Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group

10.3.11 It would also facilitate the collation of key data at a regional level, and
support more coordinated and synchronised planning and decision making.
10.3.12 This approach can build upon existing shared service arrangements vis-àvis
the range of lead authority approaches currently being advanced mainly
in gateways and their hinterlands and the (albeit limited in size and
functionality) River Basin District Offices established to co-ordinate
development of the first round of RBMPs and the project offices being partfunded
under the Water Services Investment Programme in a number of
local authority areas. The Group also noted the potential synergies with the
NRA’s Regional Design Offices in terms of using existing project
management and administrative support capacity.
10.3.13 As well as infrastructure delivery and RBMP implementation, the possibility
of the regional project office delivering monitoring, authorisation, inspection
and licensing functions currently carried out by local authorities under a
range of legislation should also be explored. To take monitoring as an
example, local authorities, as well as the EPA, Marine Institute and other
public bodies, undertake water-related sampling under multiple Directives
(Urban Waste Water, Drinking Water, Nitrates, Water Framework, Bathing
Water, Shellfish Waters). There are opportunities for efficiencies in this
area through collaborative effort. The Department, the EPA and local
authorities have been examining the local authorities’ water sampling and
monitoring obligations in the context of a review of laboratory facilities. This
has identified that local authorities have not achieved the required statutory
level of sampling. While this would seem to rule out immediate opportunities
for cost-savings (as local authorities will have to increase their monitoring
outputs), the Group considers that there may be opportunities to achieve
efficiencies by identifying any duplication of water-related monitoring across
other public bodies.
10.3.14 The extended regional River Basin Office approach could also be used to
manage bulk purchasing (for items such as energy, chemicals), externally
procured sampling and monitoring and to seek economies of scale in
contracts for equipment maintenance. It could also work with the Water
Services Training Group (already regionally based) to optimise training.
The River Basin Office would also have a role in providing energy audits
and operational audits to identify potential for savings.
10.3.15 There are practical issues which would have to be taken into account
including the size of individual river basins (in particular the Shannon river
basin) as well as some local authorities which have land areas in more than
one river basin district. The precise location and size of office would have to
take account of factors such as the current location of relevant skilled staff,
the stage of development of various strategic projects and available
capacity of procurement and project management skills that may be
available through staff secondments/ service level agreements.
125