Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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104. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding filling research programme-related vacancies in agencies under his Department. [17129/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Over recent years, the Government has introduced various initiatives aimed at reducing the public sector pay bill. Central to these has been the moratorium on recruitment to the public sector and the Employment Control Framework (ECF) mechanism administered centrally by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) which has placed challenging staff reduction targets for all public sector bodies.

The filling of critical vacancies in all agencies of my Department (and indeed in the core Department itself) has been subject to the exigencies and constraints of both these initiatives. These include a requirement, in respect of each proposed appointment, to procure sanction from DPER – regardless of whether a Department or agency is operating within its ECF limit. The decision to sanction is influenced by the business case submitted in support of the proposal, in the context of the imperative to significantly reduce pressure on the public sector pay bill and, of course, the strategic priorities of the Agency concerned at the time in question. When sanction is received, the recruitment process is undertaken by the agencies themselves, typically in conjunction with the Public Appointments Service.

In accordance with the announcement of my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in Budget 2015, arrangements to lift the moratorium on recruitment to public sector organisations have been put in place and my Department has made its formal submission to DPER for a delegated sanction that will allow the Department and our Agencies greater autonomy in determining their own staffing priorities, within the limitations of agreed pay budgets.