Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans to increase staff in her Department local office (details supplied) in County Mayo. [45150/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The staffing needs for all offices within the Department are continuously reviewed, having regard to workloads, management priorities and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources with a view to providing an efficient service to those who rely on the schemes operated by the Department.

The HR Division of my Department will continue to source available staff to fill priority vacancies by way of redeployment, or transfer from within the Department and other Government Departments, taking account of the Employment Control Framework (ECF) target, as determined by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

A temporary Clerical Officer has recently been assigned to the Ballina office to support the roll out of the Public Services Card nationwide. In addition, we are working to fill an Executive Officer vacancy which is deemed to be a priority post. While there are no further plans to increase the staffing levels at this time, any vacancies in the office which are deemed to be a priority will be filled taking account of the Department’s ECF.