Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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117. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason for the decline in the number of staff employed by Clare County Council from 907.9 full-time equivalent in Q4 2008 to 794.05 full-time equivalent in Q4 2019 as expressed in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform databank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10300/22]

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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118. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason for the decline in the number of staff employed by Clare County Council from 794.05 full-time equivalent in quarter four 2019 to 328.74 full-time equivalent in quarter four 2020 as expressed in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform databank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10301/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 118 together.

Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible.

During the period 2009 to 2015 and in line with government policy on staffing and numbers in the public sector at that time, all local authorities including Clare County Council, underwent a sizable reduction of staffing numbers.

Since that time, there has been a managed upward trend, caused in the main by the sector’s response to the Government’s Housing Strategy and the strong emphasis placed on economic development. There will continue to be gradual increases over the next few years to reflect the new skills required within the sector.

With regard to the Q4 2020 staff numbers for Clare County Council published on the Department of Public Expenditure's Databank (databank.per.gov.ie/), there was an error in the figure published. The correct staffing number for Clare County Council at the end of Q4 2020 was 803.86 and my Department will ensure that the error will be rectified by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on their Databank without delay.