Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1465. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of clerical officers and clerical assistants in her Department on temporary contracts by years of service; if these officers will be offered permanent positions in the Civil Service when they have served for a fixed period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16429/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Temporary clerical staff are recruited to cover absences of permanent staff on maternity leave, long term sick leave, other statutory leave and also to provide cover for some staff availing of the shorter working year scheme. They are also recruited to alleviate work pressure in certain areas, and to assist in the roll-out of the Public Services Card project.

Temporary contracts are offered for a fixed term or a fixed purpose. In the case of a fixed purpose contract the term can vary according to the purpose of the contract. All temporary contracts are kept under review and are terminated when the purpose for the contract has ceased.

In 2012, my Department commenced the appointment of temporary clerical officers (TCOs) to support the roll out of the Public Services Card project. These TCOs were assigned from panels established by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and issued with contracts for the specified temporary purpose of supporting the roll out of the project.

Notwithstanding the Fixed Term Work Act 2004, contracts for TCOs who were recruited for the Public Services Card project are now reviewed once the officer has attained 4 years’ service and consideration is given to the approval of a contract of indefinite duration following a manager’s satisfactory assessment. Reviews of temporary contracts for TCOs for the PSC that commenced in 2012 and 2013 are currently underway.

There are currently 275 TCOs employed in my Department as follows: