Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he is considering reviewing the blanket moratorium on recruitment in the public sector in view of the staffing needs of different sections of the public sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2833/13]

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.

End 2012 preliminary returns show that serving numbers in the Public Service were some 290,300, some 30,000 below the 2008 levels. I wish to point out to the Deputy that there is no blanket moratorium on recruitment in the public sector. There are always certain limited exceptions for example in relation to some frontline posts, or statutory positions, etc. where a sufficiently strong business case is made. 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.

In the Health and Education sectors in particular special arrangements are in place for exemptions to the moratorium on recruitment for specified grades or positions. However, 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 existing resources.

The operation of the moratorium is under constant review by my Department and where it is considered prudent it may be adapted. However, 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 the current, hard won 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.