Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 428: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of officials at principal officer level or higher, in both absolute terms and as a percentage of total staff, who are expected to be working in her Department following full implementation of the incentivised early retirement scheme. [36866/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently 57 posts at Principal Officer level or higher in the Department. This represents 1.2% of total serving posts in the Department.

To date, there are 8 applications from among this group for the Incentivised Scheme of Early Retirement, (ISER) and as the closing date for the Scheme has been extended to 23rd October 2009, further applications may be received. One application has been approved to date. In addition to the ISER, the Department has experienced a considerable loss through normal retirements from among this group in the past year and has suppressed 4 posts. There are further applications from among this group for normal retirement before the end of 2009.

Discussions are ongoing with the Department of Finance in relation to the Department's senior management structure into the future.