Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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151. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current number of vacant TAO and SAO positions; the breakdown of same across the divisions per county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24369/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to ensuring that a skilled and motivated workforce is in place to meet its priority business needs. Workforce planning processes are utilised to identify our requirements across all our technical grade streams and locations, and to ensure a long-term, proactive and strategic plan through which current and future staffing needs are addressed.

Overall staffing levels and required skills are continually monitored and prioritised to ensure business needs are met, subject to the limits of the annual estimates process, the usual budgetary constraints and approvals by the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform.

In consideration of above, we currently have no vacancies to be filled at this time for Supervisory Agricultural Officers and we have 1 Technical Agricultural Officer that is in final clearance prior to a formal offer, as of 28th May.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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152. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of TAO and SAO that have currently applied to retire in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24370/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm that no staff at TAO or SAO grades in my Department have indicated their intention to retire in 2025.

Retirement notice periods in the Civil Service are governed by DPER Circular 10/2012. Staff in TAO and SAO grades are only required to give a minimum of one month's notice of intention to retire from the Civil Service.

It should be noted that, following the Government Decision of December 2017 to increase the compulsory retirement age to 70 for public service employees recruited before 1 April 2004, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform published Circular 21/2017, effective from 5th December 2017. This Circular allows Civil Servants to apply for retention beyond their compulsory retirement age of 65, until they reach the age of eligibility for the Contributory State Pension, currently age 66. Applications for retention are considered by individual Government Departments in line with their business needs.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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153. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of current TAO and SAO employed in each division per county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24371/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to ensuring that a skilled and motivated workforce is in place to meet its priority business needs. Workforce planning processes are utilised to identify our requirements across all our technical grade streams and locations, and to ensure a long-term, proactive and strategic plan through which current and future staffing needs are addressed.

Overall staffing levels and required skills are continually monitored to ensure business needs are met, subject to the limits of the annual estimates process, the usual budgetary constraints and approvals by the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform.

The table below provides further details on the numbers of Technical Agricultural Officers and Supervisory Agricultural Officers currently within the Department per division and by county as of 24th May, as requested by the Deputy.