Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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271. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of public sector workers who are on temporary contracts or other non-permanent contracts of employment in her Department. [30405/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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One member of staff in the Department, the Chief Medical Advisor, has been rehired on a temporary contract on a pay scale of €87,741 to €106,423. Payment of his pension is abated pending the termination of his temporary contract.

The Department held a competition to recruit a new Chief Medical Advisor in late 2013, however, no candidate was deemed suitable at interview. The decision to re-employ the Chief Medical Advisor was taken due to his specific skills and his involvement in the policy reform of the illness related schemes, the difficulty and long lead-in time for replacing his skills, and the critical importance of ensuring continuity and a high level of service to customers of the Department.

As an exception to the current moratorium on recruitment, the Department has limited sanction to recruit temporary clerical officers to cover critical staff absences, some staff availing of the Shorter Working Year Scheme, the roll-out of the new Public Services Card and the operation of the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Scheme. There are currently 583 temporary clerical officers serving in the Department