David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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154. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of additional public sector staff hired in his Department over and above those who had retired or left the service, that is, new positions only as and from 31 December 2010, broken down for each of the years 2011 to 2016, to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20143/16]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, there has been significant restructuring in my Department during the years 2011 to 2016.

In 2011 the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform was established resulting in a significant proportion of my staff and functions transferring to that Department. In addition, following recommendations of the report of The Independent Review Panel on Strengthening the Capacity of the Department of Finance (The Wright Report) being implemented, additional resources were added to expand the skill set of the Department. 2014 and 2015 also saw the formation of a Shared Services model whereby a number of my staff and functions were transferred out of my Department. All of these circumstances have led to a significant evolution in the structure of my Department. 

This period therefore has seen my Department adapt, realign and enhance our resources in order to achieve our goals, facilitated by the development of an integrated business planning process, which ensures that resources are directed towards key priorities. The period has also seen continued investment in the roll-out of our ICT strategy as a key enabler to introduce innovation to and transform the way in which we work.

Furthermore, on an ongoing basis, in order to ensure my Department reaches its objectives, resource reviews are undertaken ensuring goals are met and resources are fully maximised.

For all of these reasons it would not be accurate to analyse the large volume of movements purely on a substitution basis.