Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

In 2006, the Department of Finance carried out a review of staffing in the DPP's office, arising from which 28 additional posts were approved to bring the staffing complement to 206. The office currently has six staff vacancies. This number will reduce to five upon the filling shortly of a vacant post in the library. With regard to the 3% payroll expenditure cut in 2009, I am informed by the DPP's office that it will meet the reduced level by a combination of reducing support staff numbers through a proposal to locate in two rather than three premises and a range of measures such as changes in work practices and the level at which work is performed, delays in filling vacancies and tight control of overtime payments. The office is confident it can achieve the 3% cut without having an adverse impact on front line prosecution services.

We are seeking a 3% payroll cut to provide flexibilities within the overall spend in order that any Department that might have a particular problem would be able to put its case to the Department of Finance, which would decide in the context of the need to achieve the 3% cut what arrangements should be made to achieve that. We did not introduce a staff embargo, whereby no vacancies could be filled. This is a flexible mechanism, which insists on a 3% payroll cut in that context. Deputy Gilmore either agrees savings are required or he does not. Five minutes ago he told me where he would save €10 million and now he is telling me where he will spend €10 million. It is the same old story. The Deputy changes his argument to suit his question. The bottom line is the payroll cuts can be implemented and that is the up to date position. Deputy Gilmore is suggesting that the office is totally compromised as a result of seeking these savings but that is not borne out by the facts available to me.

See this speech in context