asked the Minister for the Public Service if he will state in respect of Government Departments, excluding the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, which, if any, Civil Service and other Public Service groups receive a telephone allowance; the criteria for determining eligibility for such an allowance; the amount of the allowance; and the amount paid in each of the last five years in respect of such allowance.
Ceisteanna: Questions. Oral Answers. - Telephone Allowance for Public Servants.
4.
The only area for which I have information in this matter is the Civil Service. The Department of Posts and Telegraphs have delegated authority in regard to the payment of telephone allowances, and the information in respect of that Department will be suplied by the Minister concerned.
A telephone allowance is paid to certain civil servants in a number of other Departments because of the special conditions attaching to their posts. The normal amount of the allowance is a sum equivalent to half the annual telephone rental charge, but in some cases the full amount of the rental is recouped. The total amounts paid in each of the last five years is as follows:
|
1979 |
£3,170 |
|
1980 |
£4,776 |
|
1981 |
£6,841 |
|
1982 |
£10,353 |
|
1983 |
£9,246 |
Can the Minister indicate the total number of civil servants who are afforded this facility?
There are approximately 200 civil servants who are paid the allowance which is based on the requirement that they be available at short notice or that they may have to make substantial use of their private phones for official purposes. Within that 200 is a number of people whose duty involves them either in security matters or in the provision of emergency services.
Who is responsible for sanctioning the payment of such allowances to civil servants? Perhaps the Minister would indicate also whether as a result of the tabling of this question there has been any change in the number of civil servants receiving the benefit of such allowance.
I have the responsibility for the sanctioning of telephone allowances in respect of civil servants other than those in the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. When my Department were compiling the information for this reply, it emerged that in two cases, involving two Departments, telephone rental allowance for which sanction had not been sought was being paid. In relation to one of those cases we are pursuing the matter with the Department concerned while in the other case we understand that the provision for recoupment for which sanction had not been sought by the officer concerned was terminated within the past few days.
Is the Minister in a position to indicate in respect of which Department recoupment is now being sought and also the Department in respect of which the other difficulty has arisen and in relation to which the recoupment is being sought also?
The Department with whom we are pursuing the matter is the Department of Labour. The matter relates to the provision of an allowance to an official who must visit the Department's offices outside normal office hours. The Department in relation to which the allowance has been withdrawn is the Department of Finance.