Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I wish to raise two points with the Taoiseach. First, are there any staff employed on a contract basis in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions or the Office of the Attorney General who will be affected by this embargo? Are there any staff on fixed term contracts and when are they due to expire? Is it intended to replace such staff? Will the Taoiseach indicate what work is being carried out by such staff?

Second, I ask the Taoiseach for his understanding of the terms of the decision on the embargo. The circular issued by the Department of Finance on 27 March 2009, is very explicit in that no public service post, however arising, may be filled by recruitment, promotion or by the payment of an allowance for the performance of duties at a higher grade. I understand this is clear in respect of the situation where a person leaves, retires or the post becomes vacant, in that it is simply not to be filled and it is to be left vacant. Nobody does that job or at least the post is not filled in the normal way.

I want to ask specifically about the fixed term contract jobs because the circular states that the decision also applies to temporary appointments on a fixed term basis and to the renewal of such contracts. Is my understanding correct and is it the Taoiseach's understanding that what this decision means is that the jobs of everybody employed in any area of the public service, on anything other than a permanent contract of employment basis, will end and they will be let go when the contract expires? Is this the position? I ask the Taoiseach to answer specifically about the position regarding the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Office of the Attorney General.

See this speech in context