Financial Resolutions, 1978: Financial Statement, Budget, 1978. - Job-creation—public sector
By the end of 1977 a total of almost 4,700 new public sector posts had been created since the Government assumed office. Over 2,000 of these jobs have actually been filled at a cost to the Exchequer of almost £2.5 million in 1977.
About 2,000 of the new posts created arose in the civil service— mainly in the prisons service and for telephone development and revenue collection. As many as 900 new posts have been created in the teaching service and 890 in the health services. An increase of 500 in the strength of the Garda Síochána has been authorised.
The impetus of job-creation in the public sector will be maintained through 1978. I have made provision for a further 6,560 posts, bringing the total number of new posts to be approved since July last to almost 11,250. The financial provision contained in the 1978 Estimates for all of these posts is £26 million and the full year cost is about £40 million.
The new posts to be created in 1978 arise mainly in the health services where 2,400 extra jobs will be provided. In addition, about 2,350 jobs will be created in the education sector and 1,250 in the civil service, again mainly in the areas I have already indicated.
The public sector job-creation target of 10,000 extra jobs will, therefore, be exceeded by some 1,250 posts. The posts involved are new in that they do not include provision for filling vacancies in existing staff complements. The Government have been careful to avoid indiscriminate post creation simply to achieve a numerical target. All of the posts are related to specific and urgent needs—reducing overcrowding in schools, security, improving the quality of the health services or enabling essential civil service tasks to be discharged.