Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 269: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will take steps to have the employment cap lifted which has been imposed upon local authorities who wish to employ additional staff, in order to enable them to provide the services that are required and to carry out additional duties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6653/07]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has, since December 2002, followed a policy under which the growth in public service employment has slowed substantially overall and has been reversed in several areas. 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.

As I stated in my Budget speech last December, the policy is not being implemented indiscriminately. The Government has consistently taken the line that priority must be given to frontline and essential services.