Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the estimated cost involved in a full year of lifting the recruitment freeze. [42901/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Government is committed to delivering the pay saving as set out in the EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support. Continued reductions in public service numbers in line with Government policy will go a considerable way towards achieving this saving. Significant progress has already been made in this regard as set in the table.

Outturn figures for Quarter 2, 2012 show that serving numbers in the Public Service were at 292,000 for the period. Public Service numbers are 28,000 below the 2008 levels.

If the general moratorium on recruitment and promotion was lifted and numbers were allowed to return to their former levels the paybill would also increase over time and accordingly a substantial part of these savings would be lost. For instance if Public Service Numbers were allowed to return to 2010 levels the increase in the paybill would be in the region of €500m.