Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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315. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation for details of the number of supernumerary positions in his Department and the agencies, organisations and bodies funded by his Department; the maximum period in each case that supernumerary positions have existed; the total cost in maintaining supernumerary positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34145/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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I understand the Deputy to be referring to temporary or extra positions exceeding the regular staffing complement. In that regard, there are 8 Temporary Clerical Officers (COs) employed in my Department on a CO salary scale of €21,345 - €37,341 per annum. These positions are from August 2015 for an initial twelve month period and the staff in question have been engaged to work on the “conversion” of some 160,000 companies attendant on implementation of the Companies Act 2014. This is a one-off project where additional resources were required to be applied to a task which, when complete, will not require the continued engagement of the staff recruited specifically for the purpose.

My Department is also a participant in the "JobBridge National Internship Scheme” providing work experience placements for interns for a 6 or 9 month period. Internships do not displace any existing staff and are not used to fill vacant posts, rather they represent an opportunity for the Department to undertake once-off or project-type work for which there exists a clear definition of objectives relevant to the duration of the internship that we would otherwise be unable to undertake. As interns gain valuable experience which should assist them in their future careers, my Department is pleased to be able to offer these opportunities where appropriate and there are currently 2 interns on 9 month placements within my Department.

The Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE), whose staff are drawn from among the employees of my Department, has a contract with an agency for the supply of an agency worker to carry out legal secretarial functions for the Office primarily serving the requirements of the in-house solicitors and legal advisers. There is no grade of Legal Secretary in the Civil Service and, accordingly, it was decided that the most effective manner of obtaining these services was to outsource this particular skill-set through an agency worker arrangement.

Following the latest procurement process, a contract was put in place on 27 July 2015 for a 37.5 hour week at an hourly rate of pay of €19.50 per hour plus €7.63 to the Agency supplying the contracted Secretary. This covers Pay, Holiday Pay, PRSI, and margin and amounts to €1,017.37 per week nett of VAT (€1,251.38 inclusive of VAT).

Finally, I have asked all Agencies under the aegis of my Department to advise me of any supernumerary positions they may have, and I will communicate that information to the Deputy as soon as it is available.