Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 10 Nov 1981

Vol. 330 No. 9

Written Answers. - Urban Authority Employees.

531.

Mr. Mervyn Taylor

asked the Minister for the Environment the number of servants employed by each urban authority in December 1980 and at the end of June 1981.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. P. Barry)

The recruitment, conditions of service and termination of the employment of employees in the servant category is entirely a matter for each employing local authority; information regarding the numbers employed by each urban authority at the end of June 1981 is not available in my Department. Annual returns of numbers employed as at 31 December each year are furnished by local authorities to my Department and the number of servants employed by each urban authority on 31 December 1980 is set out in the attached table. Returns in respect of 1981 are not yet available.

Urban Authority	Number of servants
County Borough Corporations	1980
Cork	1,082
Dublin	5,822
Limerick	536
Waterford	239
Borough Corporations
Clonmel	71
Drogheda	136
Dun Laoghaire	426
Galway	—*
Kilkenny	61
Sligo	63
Wexford	51
Urban District Councils
Arklow	31
Athlone	56
Athy	12
Ballina	25
Ballinasloe	21
Birr	—*
Bray	101
Buncrana	8
Bundoran	8
Carlow	64
Carrickmacross	8
Carrick-on-Suir	21
Cashel	8
Castlebar	33
Castleblaney	9
Cavan	17
Ceanannus Mór	9
Clonakilty	—*
Clones	8
Cobh	23
Dundalk	182
Dungarvan	22
Ennis	14
Enniscorthy	21
Fermoy	—*
Killarney	—
Kilrush	5
Kinsale	1
Letterkenny	5
Listowel	16
Longford	23
Macroom	6
Mallow	33
Midleton	13
Monaghan	27
Naas	34
Navan	26
Nenagh	18
New Ross	25
Skibbereen	—*
Templemore	4
Thurles	—*
Tipperary	18
Tralee	71
Trim	7
Tullamore	31
Westport	19
Wicklow	19
Youghal	23

*Returns not furnished.

532.

Mr. Mervyn Taylor

asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware (i) that a considerable number of pensionable servants of county councils (a) have been laid off or (b) are on short-time in 1981 due to a redundancy situation; (ii) that lay-offs or short-time working seriously affects pensionable service in view of the service day rule under the Superannuation Act, 1956; and if he will notify local authorities that in the present circumstances the lost time could be regarded as paid leave (nominal) so that pensionable service may not be lost.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. P. Barry)

(i) Arising from recent inquiries made of county councils it is understood that (a) one local authority had laid off workers during 1981, and (b) that three other authorities had found it necessary to put workmen on short-time in order to contain expenditure within the limits of their incomes. In the case of one of these it has been found possible recently to re-employ the workers on a full-time basis; (ii) The local authority superannuation code is governed by legislation i.e. the Local Government (Superannuation) Act, 1956 and the reckonability of service days is a matter for each local authority in accordance with the provisions of that Act and of the Superannuation Revision Scheme, 1977. The non-reckonability of unpaid absences for superannuation purposes in local authorities is in line with the position in the public service generally and it would not be appropriate for me to seek to amend the existing provisions in this matter. One of the improved benefits granted under the revision scheme allows a pensionable servant to reckon all his service days (subject to maximum of 250 days in any year) whereas previously he could not reckon service days in any financial year in which he had less than 200 such days.