Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask the Minister about superannuation and retired allowances. My question relates to the restoration of the reductions that people took as a consequence of the economic collapse. People, especially retired people, are extremely confused about how the restoration may affect them. People may have retired at different times and, as a consequence, the rules are different. I am seeking a people-friendly thing whereby someone can input the date of retirement and find out the particular scheme under which they retired.

It is important that people who retried before a certain date and before the changes took place are told that their situation is straightforward. In other words, it is important to say that restoration follows the general principle of people who are working in the public service.

A situation has arisen whereby there is now evidently a labour shortage. Large numbers of nurses and teachers opted to retire earlier than they might otherwise have retired because they feared that their pensions would be cut significantly. At the same time, we have a difficulty in many schools in obtaining substitute teachers, especially in DEIS schools at primary and secondary level.

The Minister could have an influence in making the position clear to those who have retired but who may wish to offer themselves from time to time for substitute work, perhaps for a couple of days a week or for a couple of weeks at a time. The question is how they can go about it. We need to give the same information to principals. I realise this is more a matter for the Minister of Education and Skills. In any event, there is extensive confusion. Many of those who retired early might well be interested in doing occasional work. Some may well be interested in doing more than occasional work, were it to become available. This arises in the context of the shortages now being experienced in different parts of the public services, but it is most evident in teaching and nursing.

I am seeking people-friendly information for people who have retired on how restoration will affect them. In particular, I want the Minister to make clear to people who retired before or as the crisis began that they might have a straightforward situation. I imagine the Minister has found that people are genuinely confused as well. We get tables from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform but they are extremely difficult to track and explain. I realise it is a difficult communications issue but it is important for many people.

I represent a constituency where approximately 30% of the population were not born in Ireland or their parents were not born in Ireland. I imagine Dublin Central, the Minister's constituency, is pretty much the same - the figures may not be as high as Dublin West but they are high nevertheless. I found this question difficult when I was Minister, but the recruitment embargo was in place for most of that time and certainly up to the last year and a half. At that point, gradually, we were able to get rid of it. I do not find Polish people working in places in the public service in any significant number. I do not find people from the Baltic states working there. I do not find too many people from Africa or Asia working in the public service either.

As the Minister knows, these big population groups have immigrated into Ireland in recent years. The Minister and everyone else accepts that gender diversity is really important, but I suggest that when the public service is looking at the issue of diversity, it should also focus on the representation of people who have come to live and work in Ireland, many of whom are quite highly qualified. I know the Public Appointments Service has advertised in some international languages, but I do not know whether it has focused on the people about whom I am talking, many of whom have significant qualifications. If they are without employment at the moment, with some appropriate training they might be able to make a career in the public service. I see this being done in other European countries. I do not see why we would not move towards the same tendency. There are large numbers of students of international origin in many secondary schools, particularly in Dublin 15. It is important for young Irish-European, Irish-African and Irish-Asian people who are planning what they might do for a living to have a sense that the public service is open to them as a career. I suggest there would be merit in the Public Appointments Service offering career guidance information sessions to school-goers from an early stage to advise them on careers that are available and may be of interest to them.

I wish to ask about mobility within the public service. My personal view is that one of the biggest problems with the HSE is the constant moving around of people in junior to senior executive positions. Every time one has business to transact with the HSE, one finds that somebody else has moved into the position. Does the Government have a policy in this regard? When I served as Minister for Social Protection, I strongly advised against the adoption of a HSE-style constant rotation of officials that means people do not stay in their positions for very long, particularly as they make progress through promotions. When an official is appointed to a particular area, he or she should be able to serve at least three years in that area. It can be extremely difficult for clients to use the public service if there is constant rotation of staff. This kind of rotation may also be difficult for some staff members. If new people are arriving in and out all the time, it appears as though the place is in a constant state of flux. This is a difficult issue because I appreciate that mobility is desirable on the one hand, but on the other hand the key thing is the service to the client or customer. If we cannot stabilise service provision and ensure staff members feel confident they can provide a good service, it can be tricky.