Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 579: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will clarify the plans for his Department office in Raphoe, County Donegal; and if additional clerical staff will be employed in the office to deal with the additional workload. [15727/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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All local offices of my Department are being reconfigured to provide a better service in a more efficient manner to our stakeholders; essentially, this process involves doing more work with fewer staff under the terms of the Government Reform Plan. The Department's public office in Raphoe is one of the Departments 16 enhanced offices, providing services on a regional basis, which have replaced 58 public offices that operated in the past. Its enhancement coupled with the Croke Park Agreement has allowed my Department to make a number of staff available to the Department of Social Protection throughout County Donegal which ensures that social protection services are maintained for the benefit of the citizens of Donegal.

A key benefit derived from the Department's strategic investments in ICT and disease control measures is a reduced staffing requirement. This, together with business process improvements planned for all 16 regional offices will enable my Department's office in Raphoe to continue to increase its productivity, dealing effectively with any additional work without the need to employ additional administrative staff.