Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 250: To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to remove the embargo on the recruitment of public service jobs as many local authorities require additional staff but due to the embargo they cannot recruit; the plans the Government have to allow local authorities to recruit necessary staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19083/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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There is no embargo on the recruitment of staff for local authorities or any other sector within the public service. The Government has, over the last number of years, followed a policy under which the growth in public service employment has slowed overall. The Government will continue to control and regulate numbers employed in the public service within agreed ceilings. Organisations can recruit staff within the overall ceiling which has been agreed for their sector. It is a matter for each individual Department and sector of the public service and relevant Minister to set priorities to give effect to this policy. The agreed ceiling for the local authority sector is 33,300.