Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
366. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the local government staff embargo is still in place; if workforce planning has been carried out; and if so, where there are staff shortages, by local authority, and the disciplines and grades. [21288/24]
View answer367. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new staff positions have been sanctioned by local authorities since 2018; and if he will detail the specialised grades provided for in each local authority over that time period. [21289/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 366 and 367 together.
The moratorium on recruitment in the public service, introduced in 2009 following a Government decision to implement savings measures across the wider public service as a response to the financial crisis facing the State, was ended with effect from 2015. Since then, a delegated sanction from the Department of Finance and later on from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform for the management of staff numbers in local authorities has been applied to my Department. This delegated sanction has given my Department a greater degree of flexibility in responding to staffing needs in local authorities as they arise.
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/she is responsible. Local authorities undertook their first iteration of workforce planning in 2014 to identify how staff could be optimally deployed and to highlight gaps that needed to be filled. Local authorities are currently in the process of developing a new strategic framework for workforce planning which will set out how the sector will strengthen its workforce and organisations so that it is ready and able to develop, lead and drive local action, and build the capability and capacity to consistently deliver for communities as the primary means of public service at local level.
My Department's role in overseeing strategic workforce planning for the local government sector, includes the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers aggregate quarterly data on staff numbers in each local authority on a whole time equivalent basis which is published on the Public Service Numbers databank, hosted and maintained by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. The databank is available at the following link:
databank.per.gov.ie/Public_Service_Numbers.aspx?rep=LA
However, granular data, such as the specific work areas within local authorities where there may be vacancies and the number and grade of any such vacancies is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available from individual local authorities.
Local authorities are required to seek sanction from my Department for all new posts above agreed workforce plan levels. The number of new posts sanctioned in the period 2019 to end Q1 2024 broken down by local authority area are detailed in the table below. Data for 2018 that readily identifies new posts sanctioned is not available.
Following the approval by my Department of a staffing sanction request, it is then a matter for the Chief Executive to progress the appointment as appropriate. Given that the structure and breakdown of directorates within a local authority are matters unique to that local authority, information in respect of what specific department within a local authority each staffing sanction request relates to is not collected in the manner sought and consequently is not available in my Department.
Number of New Posts Sanctioned
|
Local Authority |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 Q1 |
|
Carlow Co. |
16 |
11 |
16 |
26 |
31 |
16 |
|
Cavan Co. |
0 |
5 |
7 |
12 |
12 |
2 |
|
Clare Co. |
22 |
12 |
31 |
17 |
29 |
11 |
|
Cork City Council |
20 |
9 |
27 |
16 |
24 |
2 |
|
Cork Co. |
1 |
49 |
47 |
34 |
26 |
4 |
|
DLR Co. |
28 |
24 |
36 |
45 |
30 |
23 |
|
Donegal Co. |
70 |
14 |
32 |
44 |
79 |
4 |
|
Dublin City Co. |
57 |
30 |
131 |
93 |
98 |
15 |
|
Fingal Co. |
29 |
6 |
47 |
76 |
29 |
3 |
|
Galway City Co. |
52 |
7 |
32 |
46 |
55 |
14 |
|
Galway Co. |
8 |
22 |
29 |
53 |
43 |
18 |
|
Kerry Co. |
5 |
6 |
4 |
12 |
17 |
2 |
|
Kildare Co. |
30 |
27 |
55 |
55 |
45 |
36 |
|
Kilkenny Co. |
10 |
3 |
19 |
27 |
78 |
30 |
|
Laois Co. |
20 |
9 |
34 |
34 |
22 |
25 |
|
Leitrim Co. |
3 |
13 |
14 |
18 |
12 |
2 |
|
Limerick City & Co. |
59 |
35 |
59 |
58 |
74 |
26 |
|
Longford Co. |
21 |
7 |
17 |
39 |
25 |
25 |
|
Louth Co. |
4 |
23 |
17 |
22 |
14 |
6 |
|
Mayo Co. |
3 |
2 |
19 |
39 |
53 |
6 |
|
Meath Co. |
1 |
2 |
38 |
88 |
42 |
29 |
|
Monaghan Co. |
2 |
9 |
23 |
16 |
31 |
13 |
|
Offaly Co. |
23 |
6 |
13 |
14 |
10 |
15 |
|
Roscommon Co. |
2 |
2 |
8 |
25 |
14 |
4 |
|
Sligo Co. |
28 |
12 |
18 |
37 |
8 |
6 |
|
South Dublin Co. |
10 |
1 |
16 |
45 |
64 |
33 |
|
Tipperary Co. |
9 |
10 |
17 |
20 |
53 |
8 |
|
Waterford City |
31 |
7 |
35 |
63 |
32 |
5 |
|
Westmeath Co. |
17 |
2 |
46 |
20 |
28 |
14 |
|
Wexford Co. |
11 |
19 |
18 |
35 |
36 |
18 |
|
Wicklow Co. |
8 |
5 |
20 |
23 |
36 |
9 |
|
Total |
600 |
389 |
925 |
1152 |
1150 |
424 |
