Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 173: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of public sector places made vacant by maternity or other leave that have not been filled since the implementation of the embargo on recruitment and overtime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4256/11]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Currently, there are 102 civil servants at my Department on maternity leave.

Where a member of staff avails of maternity leave it does not generate a vacancy within an office. Usually arrangements are made by local management to cover the essential duties of the official concerned. In the event an office/area has a particular difficulty in providing the required service due to staff on maternity or other leave the Personnel Section of my Department can re-assign staff from other office locations to address the matter.

Teaching and special needs assistants are exempt from the terms of the Department of Finance moratorium so that in the event a teacher or special needs assistant is absent on maternity or long term sick leave schools can engage the services of a replacement in order to retain continuity of tuition in the classroom.

In relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department I have requested officials to compile details of staff on maternity and other leave and I will forward this to the Deputy when it is to hand.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 174: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the proportion between office administrators and frontline staff in the public sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4269/11]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Civil Servants engaged at my Department are categorised into administrative and non administrative staff. Currently there are 886 whole time equivalent administrative posts and 368 non administrative posts.

My Department does not record categories of staff as administrators or front line staff as it does not define demarcations in relation to administrative or frontline duties. Officials address these issues as they arise in the course of their official functions. Therefore, I am not in a position to provide the information in the format requested by the Deputy as it would take an inordinate amount of time to do so.

For the Deputies information I wish to let him know that there are 158 educational psychologists attached to the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department and 131 staff in the Department's Inspectorate Division many of whom would be regarded as dealing in front line services as their duties mainly entail dealing directly with schools and students. In the schools sector there are 32,340 primary school teachers and almost 28,160 second level teachers which again would be considered front line services.