Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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59. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if the employment of temporary clerical officers, TCOs, in her Department and, in particular, the awarding of long-term contracts to TCOs affect the chances of an established clerical officer, CO, transferring to another office in the same Department; if the awarding of long-term contracts to TCOs is what this role was intended for; the reason an established CO cannot be accommodated with a transfer to work on these projects; and if there is a business case for extra staff, the reason TCOs should be awarded long-term contracts at the expense of an established permanent CO with an exemplary employment record. [29420/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Decisions in relation to the deployment of temporary clerical staff are made on the basis of a number of factors. Initially, decisions centre around the nature of the work involved and the duration of the work. Other factors include the availability of existing resources to do the work, and the location where the work is to be undertaken.

This Department has limited sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform to recruit temporary clerical officers (TCOs) to provide critical cover for long-term staff absences and to assist with additional projects the Department has had to take on. TCOs can be recruited on a fixed term basis, i.e. where the end date for the absence being covered is known from the outset, e.g. cover for maternity leave. Alternatively, where an end date is not known, the TCO is recruited on a “fixed purpose” contract basis, where the contract is related to a particular business purpose.

The Department operates an extensive range of transfer lists which allow established permanent staff to request a transfer to another area/region. These lists are stored in date of application order. If a critical vacancy is approved for filling, staff who are reached on the transfer list are offered the opportunity to relocate to the area of their choice.

Temporary contracts are regularly reviewed. Where a decision is made to appoint a permanent member of staff to a post, transfer lists and existing panels for recruitment are consulted.