Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 381: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the reasons for the promotion of a number of academic staff at a third level institution (details supplied); if she will furnish the number of academic staff promoted at Ireland's seven universities in the years 2008 to 2010, inclusive; and the reasons for these promotions. [33992/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the purpose of the Government decision to implement a recruitment and promotion moratorium in the public sector is to facilitate a permanent, structural reduction in the numbers of staff serving in the public sector and is intended to contribute significant and ongoing savings to the Exchequer. In the higher education sector, the Government agreed that an employment control framework (ECF) be put in place to provide for the application of the moratorium arrangements in the sector, subject to the continued oversight and review by the HEA and both my Department and the Department of Finance. The ECF aims to provide institutions with a greater flexibility around recruitment in the filling of posts, on the basis of meeting a required overall reduction in posts. All such institutions have confirmed to the HEA that the targeted reductions in staff numbers to end December 2010 will be achieved.

It is a matter for the individual higher education institutions, including the institution referred to by the Deputy, to manage their staffing resources in the context of implementing the framework. In this regard, my Department and the HEA are aware of a specific operational issue in the institution, referred to by the Deputy, relating to the decision by the Board in the University to promote a number of academic staff. The University concerned has indicated that the promotions are in title only for the duration of the current Employment Control Framework. This decision apparently was made in the context of recommendations from an internal promotions process that commenced in November 2008 before the moratorium was implemented in April 2009.

The HEA has written to the University concerned to notify them that these appointments amounted to a breach of the terms of the current ECF, to request the withdrawal of the award of these promotions until further notice and to notify them that if this was not possible due to contractual or other issues, the imposition of appropriate penalties would be considered further. A response from the university concerned will be considered at a forthcoming meeting of the Employment Control Framework Monitoring Committee which consists of representatives of the HEA, the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Finance. I understand from the HEA that they are not aware of any other academic promotions of this nature that have been made under the moratorium/ECF.