Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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970. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the measures which will be put in place to ensure that the shared services plans are operating across the public service including in the local government sector when there is no collection of redeployment data below grade 7 between local authorities; the level of co-ordination in terms of staff required in a new area where there is shared service being provided and other local authorities do not agree to let staff redeploy to those areas in view of the fact that this information is not even collected by the Department to deal with this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42070/14]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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971. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views that there is no mechanism in place to collect data on the redeployment of staff between local authorities in the Local Government sector for posts up to and including grade 7; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42106/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 970 and 971 together.

The moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service was introduced in March 2009 in response to the financial crisis. My Department operates a delegated sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for implementation of the moratorium in relation to local authorities, and any exceptions to the moratorium in local authorities require sanction from my Department.

Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible , including where shared services is concerned. In this regard, it is a matter for Chief Executives, in the first instance, to ensure that the moratorium is implemented while the appropriate service levels are maintained.

My Department examines all staffing sanction requests on a case by case basis having due regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of staffing and budgetary constraints. In considering sanction requests, public safety, maintaining key front line services, shared services and economic issues are given precedence.

Posts up to and including Grade 7 may be filled from within the local authority sector in accordance with the Redeployment Scheme. Only employees declared as a surplus are releasable under the terms of the scheme. Each local authority manages the redeployment process for the filling of their vacancies.

The Redeployment scheme equally applies to sanctioned vacancies for the shared services projects and this process is managed by the lead authority responsible for the shared service.