Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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851. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will intervene with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in order that third level colleges may be permitted to fill posts where they can do so within their budgets and in line with agreed salary levels without having to obtain approval from that Department. [1675/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware the economic circumstances of the country were such that a staffing moratorium was introduced across the public sector by the previous Government in 2009. In contrast to other parts of the public service the higher education sector has been given significant latitude within this moratorium relative to other areas of public expenditure.

An Employment Control Framework is in place for the higher education sector which provides institutions with considerable flexibility to fill vacancies, through recruitment or promotions on the basis of meeting an overall ceiling of posts. Therefore Department of Public Expenditure and Reform approval is not required for the filling of core vacancies by higher education institutions.