Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans in relation to offering voluntary redundancies in the public sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11517/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Government has decided that voluntary redundancy will be introduced in certain targeted sections of the public service where staff surpluses are identified by management and where redeployment is not suitable. The purpose of the scheme is to aid Government in implementing restructuring and reform in a strategic and targeted manner. It is not proposed to introduce a general scheme open to all public servants to apply. As announced recently, voluntary redundancy is shortly being introduced in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and certain parts of the Health and Education Sectors where staff surpluses are identified by management. These Departments estimate that there will be scope to effect about 2,000 exits from their areas over time and are currently drafting plans detailing the locations and surplus posts to be targeted and the timing of exits.

There will be no automatic right to redundancy and all applications will be considered in the context of ongoing business needs and service provision priorities. Obviously, as voluntary redundancy is being targeted at areas with identified staff surpluses, there will not be replacement of the departing staff. The terms of any voluntary redundancy are as agreed between my Department and the Public Services Committee of ICTU in June 2012, a copy of which is available at .