Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which reduction in the number of public sector employees as intended by the previous administration is on target to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20639/11]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Based on the information supplied to this Department, staff numbers have been reduced by almost 16,500 between the end of 2008 and the end of March this year. The breakdown across each sector is set out in the table and shows considerable progress has been achieved across the public service during this period. The Government is committed to achieving the targets set out in the Programme for Government over the period 2011 - 2015 as a minimum requirement towards achieving a modern, efficient and cost effective Public Service which can continue to deliver a high quality of public services. Public Sector Numbers Quarter 1 2011 vs Quarter 4 2008

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 133: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the degree to which he intends to review personnel numbers throughout the public sector with a view to ensuring that such redeployments take place as required in order to protect the integrity of the services, that areas or sectors experiencing greatest natural wastage or voluntary redundancy can be met with such reorganisation as necessary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20642/11]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Government are committed to the reduction in public service numbers in accordance with the programme for Government. The actual exit mechanisms to be used will depend in part on the rate of natural wastage and decisions taken under the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure on the required future size of particular sectors and bodies. In regard to the redeployment of staff in order to ensure continuity regarding the provision of essential public services, the Public Service Agreement 2010-14 (Croke Park Agreement) sets out separate redeployment arrangements for the Health, Education, Local Authority, Civil Service and non-commercial semi-State body sectors. In general, redeployment opportunities are to be sought first within each sector and thereafter in the wider public sector. The Health, Education and Local Authority redeployment processes are managed by the relevant line Department or agency. The Agreement envisages redeployment taking place for a number of reasons mainly related to rationalisation and reorganisation.

Under the Agreement, the Public Appointments Service (PAS) operates a system of Resource Panels for the Civil Service and State Bodies to support redeployment within and between those sectors. The system itself is now available to employers within those sectors. The PAS is currently developing a supporting website to include background and explanatory material for employers and staff.

Significant redeployment of staff and reassignment of work has already taken place within Departments and other bodies to meet operational priorities in response to the reduction in staff numbers. In addition, redeployment is ongoing within and between the Civil Service and other sectors. To date, this has largely been in the context of structural re-organisation or levies, both of which are specifically recognised in the Agreement. For instance over the past two years or so almost 500 staff transferred, mainly under levies and trawls for volunteers to the Department of Social Protection and the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for Census 2011. A further 2,000 or so HSE and FÁS staff are transferring to the Department of Social Protection with their functions.