Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 178: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of vacant civil servant or public servant positions in his Department on 1 October 2009, and in the State bodies or organisations answerable to him; the grade and the average duration of the vacancies; and if an application has been made to have these positions exempted from the public service recruitment and promotions embargo. [35038/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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My Department's authorised non-industrial staffing level is 1,205 and the industrial permanent staffing level is 116. On 1 October, 2009 staffing levels for non-industrial staff were 77 less than the authorised number and 10 less at industrial level and all grades are affected.

My Department has restructured its Business Units in order to deliver on its key objectives and to comply with Government Policy on Public Sector Numbers. The Department has sought sanction from the Department of Finance to fill 6 posts, 3 of which require specialist scientific skills. The Department has also sought sanction for seasonal industrial staff for the National Parks and Reserves during the 2009 and 2010 peak visitor seasons.

Day to day staffing and operational matters are matters for the individual agencies concerned and information would not generally be available in my Department on the number of vacancies in an agency at any given time. Under the moratorium on promotions and recruitment, the sanction of the Minister for Finance is required to fill posts and in accordance with this policy my Department has sought the sanction of the Minister for Finance to fill a number of posts in agencies under my aegis.