Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 7, inclusive, together.

The number of whole-time equivalent staff employed in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on 1 April of this year was 195.52 compared with 196.2 on 1 April 2008. During this period, the number of staff in the directing and solicitors divisions has increased by 5.12 whole-time equivalents while the number in the administration and policy divisions has decreased by 5.8. In other words, the director has been able to achieve savings and efficiencies in the administration of his office so as to preserve front line prosecution services and meet the increase in his workload over the last two years without having to increase overall staff numbers.

The recent changes in staff numbers have taken place against a background of the solid staffing base that was put in place in the director's office in 2007. Following a review of staffing requirements at that time, the Minister for Finance approved 28 new permanent posts and one contract post for the office. Some 21 of these posts were for legal and professional grades, reflecting the increase in the volume and complexity of the work being under taken by the office.

A sum of €43.854 million has been provided in the 2010 Revised Estimates to meet the cost of the office in the current year. My Department's officials will continue to work with officials from the director's office and the Department of Finance to ensure that the necessary resources continue to be available to the director to enable him to discharge his functions fully and effectively.

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