Written answers
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Departmental Staff
Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of retired public sector workers on pensions within his Department or any Office/Body under his aegis that have been re-instated in other positions within the public sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6761/13]
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Details are set out in the following table of retired public sector officials who are currently contracted to my Department:
GRADE | POSITION HELD | DURATION |
|---|---|---|
Assistant Secretary | Passport Appeals Officer | Three-year contract from 20 January 2012 to deal with appeals as and when they arise. |
Counsellor | To assist in preparations for and for the period of the Irish Presidency of the European Union in January-June 2013 | Contract from 1 May 2012 to 30 June 2013 |
Temporary Clerical Officer | Presidency position | Contract from 7 January to 12 July 2013 |
Temporary Clerical Officer | Presidency position | Contract from 17 September 2012 to 8 February 2013 |
First Secretary | Embassy Canberra (temporarily filling vacant post) | December 2012 – July 2013 |
The temporary Clerical Officers were recruited through an open competition organised by the Public Appointments Service (PAS).
My Department’s Development Cooperation Division also occasionally engages a small number of retired staff for short-duration specialist consultancy projects connected with the activities of Irish Aid.
The policy of my Department regarding the re-engagement of retired officials is to do so to the minimum extent possible. However, for certain once-off or short-duration projects, it is more productive and cost-effective to re-engage retired staff who already have the relevant expertise and experience than to go through a time-consuming and relatively expensive recruitment, induction and training process. Where it occurs, retired staff are usually re-engaged on a pension abatement basis, which means in effect that they continue to receive their pensions and are paid correspondingly reduced salaries by the Department.
The records currently available to my Department do not enable me to respond in full as regards retired public sector workers currently employed. However, under the provisions of the Public Service Pensions (Single Schemes & Other Provisions) Act 2012, new employees are required to declare if they are in receipt of, or entitled to, a pension from previous service in the public sector.
There are no State agencies, offices or bodies under the aegis of my Department.
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