Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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136. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons employed on an agency basis in his Department and in each agency under his aegis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50808/19]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) defines an agency worker as an individual employed by an employment agency under a contract of employment by virtue of which the individual may be assigned to work for, and under the direction and supervision of, a person other than the employment agency.

My Department employs seven agency personnel to provide telephonist/receptionist services in several offices. Further information is provided in the following table.

Additionally, the Department avails of specific contractual arrangements to support a range of business needs including the provision of specialist ICT services, audit, business process analysis, and most recently to support a programme of extensive organisational change as part of the Department’s Transformation Programme. Such services are procured in accordance with public sector procurement regulations and guidelines as set out by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). Staff working under these arrangements are not considered to fall within the scope of agency workers as provided for in the WRC definition.

Personnel matters within agencies and bodies under my Department’s aegis are handled by those agencies and bodies, and I have therefore requested that they respond directly to the Deputy in respect of his question.