Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the extent to which the numbers employed throughout the public sector in respect of each Government Department and bodies under their aegis have been reduced in each year to date since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3298/13]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he is satisfied that staff reductions brought about by compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed by his predecessors with particular reference to sensitive frontline public services are not likely to damage the integrity and efficacy of such services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3303/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 110 together.

The Government is committed to reducing public service numbers to 282,500 by the end of 2014 as part of its Reform Agenda. The overriding objective is to have a more customer focused, leaner, more efficient and better integrated public service which delivers maximum value for money.

It should be noted that significant progress is being made in reducing the numbers employed in the public service. The numbers working in the public service have continued to fall, with the preliminary returns for end-2012 now standing at some 290,300, which means that, overall, we are now close to the 2005 staffing levels.

Of course, such a reduction in public service numbers poses challenges. It requires a refocus on business processes and adjustments to the way all public bodies use available resources. It will also require changes to the way individual public servants go about their daily work and greater flexibility in the way services are provided, for example with greater use of technology and shared services.

The Government is committed to making fundamental changes to the way the public service operates to safeguard the delivery of essential services in a way that is in keeping with the needs of a modern society while driving value for money for the citizen.

The moratorium on recruitment will continue until such time that the targets agreed in the Programme for Government are met. If the general moratorium on recruitment was lifted and numbers were allowed to return to their former levels, the paybill would increase over time and accordingly a substantial part of the savings already achieved would be lost. However, the precise operation of the moratorium is being kept under review by my Department.

It should be noted that there are with certain limited exceptions to moratorium for example in relation to some frontline posts, or statutory positions, etc. or where a sufficiently strong business case is made. In the Health and Education sectors in particular special arrangements are in place for exemptions to the moratorium on recruitment for specified grades and positions. However, I wish to make clear that it is part of the day to day function of the Boards and Management of all public bodies to assess, budget and plan for current and ongoing staffing requirements within allocated resources. When any vacancy arises the first issue to be considered must always be if the post still needs to be filled, or if the work can be discharged in any other way.

The historical data requested by the Deputy are available on my Department’s website which contains data for each year back to 1994. This data is regularly updated and I would urge all Deputies to utilise this resource.