Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the moratorium on public sector recruitment has been lifted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12503/13]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Looking forward over the course of the next few years, the public service will be required to deliver more savings and to maintain services with fewer resources and staff. Budget 2013 will deliver a further reduction in Public Service numbers to a ceiling of 287,000, and by end-2014 this must go down again to 282,500.

The moratorium on promotion and recruitment in the public service is an important control mechanism for this purpose and has served to help reduce numbers while allowing for some limited recruitment where necessary, for example in frontline service posts in the health and education sectors. The moratorium on recruitment will continue until such time that the targets are met and sustained.