Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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109. To ask the Minister for Finance the staffing levels in his Department by division; the staffing levels in 2015 and 2016; the number of vacancies by division; the length of time these vacancies have been open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53774/17]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that the structure of the Department of Finance has changed over the years and I am answering the Parliamentary Question as per the structure of the Department now. The staffing levels in the Department of Finance by Division in 2017 (as at end Nov.), 2016 and 2015 are set out in the following table as Full Time Equivalents:

Please note that some sections in the Department provide a shared service to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. 

With regard to vacancies in the Department of Finance, the Department is committed to the Civil Service Workforce Planning process and has a robust Recruitment and Selection policy which feeds into an ongoing Resource Review conducted and directed by the Executive Board. This process identifies on a case by case basis, both current and upcoming resource requirements in the Department and the best method to fill each vacancy. The timescale for filling vacancies from open or interdepartmental competitions varies and is dependent on the availability of panels from the Public Appointments Service (PAS). The absence of a PAS panel will generally delay the filling of a vacancy. Internally run competitions in the Department generally have a quicker turnaround time.  To date in 2017 62 new staff have joined the Department and we currently have 9 vacancies as follows: 1 Principal Officer, 2 Assistant Principal Officers, 3 Executive Officers and 3 Clerical Officers. We are expecting to receive candidates to fill these posts in early January 2018.