Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 56: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of local authority employees that have applied for the incentivised early retirement, the incentive career break scheme and the shorter working year scheme; the number approved for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2447/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Government's policy on staffing and numbers in the public sector, including local government, is to ensure that overall staffing levels are significantly reduced. Together with the existing recruitment moratorium, three further schemes to support this objective were announced by the Minister for Finance in his Budget Statement of 7 April 2009 - the incentivised scheme of early retirement, the special incentive career break scheme and the shorter working year scheme.

The purpose of the incentivised scheme of early retirement scheme was to facilitate the permanent, structural reduction in the numbers of staff serving in the local authorities. Figures supplied by the local authorities, indicate that 300 local authority employees applied for the scheme, of whom 272 have been approved and have completed the necessary documentation. The majority of these 272 employees have already retired from employment, with the remainder scheduled to leave in 2010.

The special incentive career break scheme for local authority employees was introduced as part of the Government's efforts to achieve a reduction in spending on the paybill. Figures supplied by local authorities, indicate that 294 staff have availed of the scheme from a total of 321 applications received.

The purpose of the shorter working year scheme is to permit local authority employees to balance their working arrangements with outside commitments. Special leave without pay is available for periods of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, or 13 consecutive weeks. The application period and the scheme itself are currently open ended and applicants are free to apply for the scheme at any time. The information on the numbers availing of the scheme is not available in my Department.