Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 761: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the cost to his Department and each agency under the aegis of his Department for early retirements, termination of contracts and resignations for 2006, 2007, 2008 and to date in 2009 in tabular readable form. [33953/09]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 762: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of persons in his Department and each agency under the aegis of his Department who took early retirement, had their contract terminated or resigned in 2006, 2007, 2008 and to date in 2009 in tabular readable form. [33968/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 761 and 762 together.

The following tables set out the numbers of staff in my Department who have availed of early retirement, whose contracts have been terminated or who have resigned since 2006, as well as the associated costs.

There are no Government agencies under the remit of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The calculation of the pension benefits payable to retired members of my Department, including the appropriate lump sum due, is a matter for the Department of Finance. Accordingly, my Department is not in a position to provide information on the costs arising as a result of pension payments to individual officers who have availed of early retirement.

In 2007, payments were made to four individuals whose contracts were terminated. These payments were in accordance with contractual and legal obligations and comprised:

· statutory redundancy;

· a severance payment, based on a package sanctioned by the Department of Finance in 1994; and

· pay in lieu of notice, as per the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act, 1973-2001.

In 2009, statutory redundancy payments were made to three officers upon termination of their contracts.

Apart from the appropriate statutory pension entitlements that might arise, there were no costs associated with any of the resignations listed above.