Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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657. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the staffing numbers by local authority in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018; the new staff approvals sanctioned by local authority in 2016 and 2017; the outstanding requests pending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6684/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department gathers quarterly data on staff numbers in local authorities.  The information requested for 2016 and 2017 is contained in the following table. Staffing levels for 2018 will be available at the end of each quarter during the year.

Staffing numbers for the local authority sector, as well as the broader public sector, are available on the Public Service Numbers Databank which is hosted and maintained by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and is available at the following link: http://databank.per.gov.ie/, providing access to information from 1980 onwards.

From 01 January 2016 to 31 December 2017, my Department has received 1,977 staff sanction requests from local authorities, of which 1,898 posts have been approved, and 79 posts are pending. The status of these requests is set out in the tables in the following links. Posts marked pending are, in general, awaiting supporting information prior to an informed decision being taken. There are a number of posts on hold pending the outcome of Workplace Relations Commission hearings.