Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of former employees who have been brought back to work on contract, or others employed on contract to do work which has traditionally been done in-house amongst his Department and the agencies under his authority; and the way in which this practice fits with the intention of an embargo on recruitment. [36116/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has, on a small number of occasions, re-engaged former employees for short periods of time, two in 2004 and two in 2005. These re-engagements have been on the basis that they were of short duration, and the former employees were brought back on the basis of the skills or expertise they were able to bring to particular projects. Given the small number and duration of these re-engagements, I am satisfied that these do not have any impact on staffing or on recruitment or numbers policy.

In relation to other offices or agencies under my Department, I understand that neither Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Commission for Public Service Appointments nor the Public Appointments Service have re-engaged former employees on contract.