Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of staff sanctioned by him in 2011 despite the recruitment moratorium; their grade; the organisation they work for and the number of applications that have been refused to date in 2011. [9707/11]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The moratorium on recruitment and promotion, introduced by the Government at the end of March 2009 allows for certain general exemptions in the Education and Health Sectors for the filling of certain key posts as well as for the Local Authorities in relation to certain key posts. Information in relation to the posts covered by these general exemptions may be sought from the relevant Ministers. While Departments have been implementing the moratorium in respect of themselves and the bodies under their aegis, there are occasions where a Department needs to fill a post, in either the case of a civil service post or in relation to a public service post in a body under the aegis of the Department. Such exemptions to the moratorium require the sanction of the Minister for Finance.

Each request for an exception is assessed on a case by case basis. Approval to fill posts is based on the business case made including consideration of, for example:

a. statutory posts which have to be filled for legal reasons;

b. safety related posts where a failure to fill them could leave the state

open to potential legal liabilities or for security reasons;

c. in order to ensure the continuity of essential services

d. where the failure to fill a post could result in a breach of EU/international

regulations etc.;

e. some specialist/technical posts are required to ensure continuity of core

operations e.g. legal officers; laboratory staff, maritime safety, etc.;

Departments and Offices do have to exhaust other possibilities such as redeployment, the re-assignment of staff or the re-organisation of work before applying for an exception to the moratorium.

In addition, as part of the Employment Control Framework 2011-2014 for the Health Sector, the HSE has discretion to fill a limited number of posts on exceptional grounds to support the development of integrated health care and its transformation programme. However, as part of this facility, posts of equivalent value in non-frontline areas must be suppressed for any exception made.

Details of the individual exemptions sought by each Department in respect of Civil Service and Public Service posts this year are set out in tables 1 and 2, respectively.

Civil Service

Table 1 sets out the details of exceptions to the moratorium which have been sought in respect of the Civil Service.

Since my appointment on March 9 2011, exceptions have been sought to fill 134 posts of which 13 were refused and 9 are still under consideration. Of the 112 approved, however, only some 14 of these posts will in time involve recruitment of extra staff.

In addition sanction has also been given for some 40 temporary posts to the CSO for Census 2011 and there has also been sanction, as is normal, for various temporary 'summer relief' type posts.

Public Service

Table 2 sets out the breakdown of exceptions to the moratorium which have been sought in respect of the wider Public Service. My Department has received 6 requests resulting in 20 posts being sanctioned.

Table 2- Requests for Exceptions in the Public Service

Department of Social Protection

Department of Environment, Heritage & Local Government

Department of Education and Skills

FÁS also received sanction on the 11th of March to recruit 40 temporary clerical officers of 100 sought as cover for staff availing of the

Shorter Working Year scheme

Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Fáilte Ireland also requested 80 seasonal Tourist Information Officers (clerical) to staff its Information Offices for the tourist season.

Sanction granted on 20th of April. Shannon Development was also granted 12 Tourist Information Officers on the same basis.

Such sanctions are given on the understanding that the pay can be met from within existing budgetary resources