Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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362. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of public and civil servants who were recruited under the aegis of his Department in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21111/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Recruitment to my Department is undertaken principally by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) through competitions advertised publicly. In accordance with the moratorium on public sector recruitment, there were no new civil servants appointed to my Department in 2014. The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in my Department at the end of 2014 was 798, which was significantly below the Employment Control Framework figure of almost 830 FTE. This total includes the integration of Forfas into my Department in August 2014.

In addition, a Government Decision of October 2014 transferred responsibility for implementation of the Construction Contracts Act 2013 from the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform to my Department and we also have responsibility for the Low Pay Commission with the direct staffing for both of these Units contributing to the 830 figure. My Department is currently working to fill the vacant posts within our 2015 pay-budget limits.