Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 304 of 20 November 2012, if he has approved a voluntary severance programme for Dublin Port Company; if so, the terms of the offer; the number of redundancies involved; the overall cost of the offer; the way the offer compares to typical voluntary service schemes within the public service and commercial semi State sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9205/13]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has approved a voluntary severance programme for Dublin Port Company; the terms of the offer; the number of redundancies involved; the overall cost of the offer; the way the offer compares to typical voluntary service schemes in the commercial semi State companies under the responsibility of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9206/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 258 and 262 together.  

The approval and  implementation of the voluntary severance programme referred to by the Deputy is an operational matter for Dublin Port Company and one in which I have no function.

However, I am informed by the Company that in July 2012 the Board approved a voluntary severance programme which offers five choices as follows:

- Traditional voluntary severance

- Income streaming comprising a lump sum plus ongoing payments of a specific percentage of current salary up to age 60 years

- Paid career breaks

- Early retirement for individuals over 60 years of age

- Transfer from permanent full time to permanent part time.

I am informed that it is a ‘double voluntary’ scheme which means that employees are free to apply for redundancy but the Company are also free to decide whether to accept the application or not. I also understand that to date a total of 16 staff have exited or are in the process of exiting under the terms of the programme.