Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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17. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of staff in local authorities that are employed on salaries of more than €100,000 per annum. [20499/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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At 31 March 2013 there were 224.70 , whole time equivalent (WTE), local authority staff on salary scales the maximum points of which are in excess of €100,000. The grades concerned are City and County Managers, Assistant Managers and Directors of Service.

Since 2008 local authorities have reduced staff numbers by almost a quarter from 37,243 to 28,268. In the same period the senior management cadre has reduced by the same proportion from 296 WTE to 224.7 WTE.

To support the sector in effectively managing the combination of staff reductions and the very significant change programmes underway in terms of, inter alia, the Action Programme for Effective Local Government, the establishment of Irish Water and the Local Government Shared Services Programme, Workforce Planning is underway and a Sectoral Work-Force Study has been undertaken jointly by local authorities and my Department.

The Study made recommendations regarding management requirements in local authorities and in particular provided a framework for the achievement of the Local Government Efficiency Review recommendation that the number of Directors of Service should be reduced from 240, as of December 2010, to 190. The number of Directors of Service at March 2013 was 192. My Department is currently working with local authorities bilaterally regarding the implementation of the Study's other recommendations.

In dealing with the financial crisis local authorities have reported savings of €830 million, significantly reduced staff numbers and are engaged in a number of significant reform initiatives. In this context effective leadership at a senior level in the sector is critical.