Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the incentivised career break for civil servants in 2009 which finished in June 2012 in view of the fact that many of the staff have now been told that they will not be re-employed within their Departments for a period of up to twelve months but because of the PRSI contributions paid while they were out, they will not receive any social welfare either. [43238/12]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Special Civil Service Incentive Career Break Scheme was introduced as a once-off measure that was included in the Supplementary Budget on 7 April, 2009.

A copy of the relevant Circular, 13/2009, can be viewed at the following link:

It is clear from the Circular that an officer who took a career break under this Scheme may have to wait up to 12 months following the end of the career break before being reassigned and that during that time the individual should contact the Department of Social and Family Affairs to ascertain whether they are entitled to any benefits.

The following paragraphs from the Circular deal specifically with the matter of civil servants returning to duty after the three year period.

Paragraph 20: An officer, who indicates s/he wishes to resume duty, will be assigned to the next appropriate vacancy to be filled following the expiry of the career break, with a guarantee of re-employment in a relevant grade (not necessarily in his/her existing Department) within twelve months of the expiry of the career break. An appropriate vacancy, for these purposes, is a fillable vacancy, in the officer's grade and Department, in the location in which he/she was serving immediately prior to commencing the career break. In the context of this Circular, "location" means geographic area, with the Dublin area being treated as one such location (save any change to such arrangements made in accordance with a collective agreement negotiated with the staff side).

Paragraph 22: Where an appropriate vacancy does not exist, the parent Department should contact the officer at once to notify him/her of the position, indicating, where possible, when it is likely that a suitable vacancy may arise. Where it is likely that the officer may be reassigned to another Department, his/her parent Department should alert him/her to that possibility. Officers, who are waiting to resume duty at the end of their career break, should be advised to contact the Department of Social and Family Affairs to ascertain whether or not they have any entitlements to jobseekers or any other benefits.

The Circular also advised civil servants to check out their own individual situations with the then Department of Social and Family Affairs prior to commencing a career break (paragraph 31 of Circular refers) and to check periodically as to the up-to-date position.

To ensure that staff were absolutely clear on the terms and conditions of this Scheme, anyone who took a career break under the Scheme was required to sign a Form of Undertaking, acknowledging that they understood the conditions of the career break as set out in Circular 13/2009 and that particular attention had been drawn to the paragraphs dealing with return to duty following the expiry of the career break.

As participants in the Scheme were not at work, I can confirm that no PRSI contribution was paid by them during the three year period of the Incentivised Career Break Scheme and it follows that no reckonable contribution was added to their record for that period. From the perspective of the Department of Social Protection, I understand that this does not preclude a person applying for Jobseekers Allowance.

In addition, there is no preclusion on civil servants seeking employment elsewhere while awaiting resumption of duty, subject to the avoidance of any conflict of interest between such employment and the person's continuing status as a civil servant.