David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

333. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the formula he uses to calculate the cost of staff recruitment to the public service with regard to new entrants coming in to address additional capacity and staff turnover via retirements from 1 Jan 2017 onwards; and the cost of recruiting new entrants to meet additional capacity and staff turnover, via retirements, for each of the years 2016 to 2018 in tabular form. [18045/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will recall that at the time of the Expenditure Statement in October 2014 an end to the Moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service was announced, to be replaced with new delegated management arrangements to be phased in during 2015 and 2016. These arrangements, which now apply to most Government departments give public service managers the means to respond to service needs as they arise, including considerable flexibility to make staffing and service level delivery decisions at the front line consistent with the resources allocated to pay budgets.

The introduction of the delegated staffing arrangements from 2015, means it is now a matter for line Departments to manage their staffing resources, including recruitment, subject to them remaining within their pay bill ceiling. Each Department can, in turn, determine the suitability of introducing similar arrangements for agencies and offices under its remit.

These new arrangements represent a significant shift away from centralised control and allow for greater flexibility in the management of public service staffing resources. The new approach has also facilitated the introduction of a targeted programme of recruitment into the civil service - my area of direct responsibility in terms of public service employment overall - to address service needs and a shortfall in key skills.

As far as the civil service is concerned significant recruitment has already occurred. At this stage, in advance of the outcome of various competitions, it is not possible to be definitive about actual numbers that will be recruited to the civil service in the course of 2016 or other years. These will be determined by a number of factors including workforce planning, retirement rates and Departments' deciding on their optimal grade mix over the period ahead, with reference to their pay budgets.

As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Civil Service while my other Ministerial colleagues have responsibility for other parts of the Public Service.