Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 58 together.

The latest information from across the public service indicates that 7,464 people have applied to retire in the first two months of the year. The sectorial breakdown of applications is health, 2,567; education, 2,058; Civil Service, 1,236; local authority, 931; defence, 362; and Garda, 310. This gives a total of 7,464.

When public service salaries were reduced in 2010, it was agreed by the then Government that persons retiring during a transitional, or grace, period would have their retirement benefits calculated on the basis of the previous payscale levels before the salary cut. That grace period will expire on 29 February 2012 in accordance with the law. Public service managers have known about the grace period for the past 18 months and have therefore had a long time to plan accordingly.

As the Deputies are aware, the Government has ensured that transition teams have been put in place in each of the sectors to deal with the specific short-term challenges arising from the ending of the grace period and to manage the process in their respective sectors. These teams are drawn from the existing workforce planning groups that have been in place for many months.

The transition teams have reported on their plans to manage the reduction in staff numbers arising from retirements to end-February and I have brought these proposals to Government. Based on the information received from the transition teams, I am satisfied that due consideration has been given by each of the sectors to the impact of the staffing reductions and the most appropriate and expeditious ways of managing the changes. The departures represent less than 3% of staff serving in the public service. Therefore, it would be unduly alarmist to categorise the exit as a "wave".

As they have the most current information on service provision at a local level, each sectoral transition team has been directed to actively communicate with the public via whichever means appropriate in order to allay concerns with regard to critical front-line service delivery. Public concerns about service levels should be addressed proactively and the public should be kept informed of business continuity arrangements that are being put in place. In the case of the Civil Service, material from the transition team process is available on my Department's website. For information on the wider public service, I would advise Members of the House to look at individual departmental websites.

Beyond the February 2012 grace period deadline, the strategic workforce planning groups in each sector will continue to ensure that sectoral employers develop plans to deal on an ongoing basis with the operational and strategic consequences of the changes and to keep the public informed step by step.

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