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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Oct 1984

Vol. 353 No. 1

Written Answers. - Public Service Employees.

446.

asked the Minister for the Public Service the number of people employed in the public service in each of the years 1974 to date; and if he will give a break down of the numbers involved between those employed directly in the Civil Service and others such as teachers and gardaí.

The Civil Service is the only area of the public service where I now have statutory responsibility for the control of numbers employed. At present there are 30,600 non-industrial and 5,500 industrial employees in the civil service.

The most comprehensive information available on the numbers employed in the wider public service is set out in Tables 41 and 42 (as follows) of the publication, "Public Service Employment — An Examination of Strategies in Ireland and other European Countries", which was commissioned by my Department and published by the Institute of Public Administration in November 1983.

Table 41 is essentially a head count and has no regard to the hours worked or the frequency of employment of those concerned. Table 42 is an attempt to show wholetime employment and hence excludes part timers or gives wholetime equivalents where available e.g. in parts of the Education Sector. Full details in respect of each sector are given in the publication, "Public Service Employment — An Examination of Strategies in Ireland and other European Countries", from which the tables are extracted.

Neither table in isolation gives a fair picture but taken together the two tables give the most comprehensive picture of public service employment that is currently available.

Table 41: Public Service Employment (1970-1983)*

(000's)

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

Civil Service

45.8

47.8

48.6

50.4

53.8

56.0

57.3

59.3

58.9

61.4

64.1

67.8

70.0

68.9†

An Garda Síochána

6.5

6.6

7.0

7.8

8.0

8.4

8.5

8.5

8.8

9.4

9.6

9.9

9.9

10.8

Defence Forces

9.8

10.1

10.6

12.1

12.3

13.5

15.6

16.6

16.7

15.8

15.5

15.8

17.4

16.5

Local Authorities

55.9

31.0

30.1

30.7

32.4

31.6

32.9

34.0

34.5

35.0

34.8

35.7

35.8

36.3

Health Services

15.4

39.8

41.6

43.1

44.8

47.0

47.7

51.1

54.7

58.0

60.0

62.5

62.6

62.0

Education

37.7

39.3

41.0

42.7

45.0

46.2

47.6

48.4

51.4

53.3

55.6

56.9

59.6

61.6

County Committees of Agriculture

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

State-Sponsored Bodies

68.0

66.0

64.0

62.0

61.0

60.6

60.0

60.0

61.7

63.9

66.8

68.4

68.8

68.6

Total Public Employment

239.8

241.3

243.6

249.6

258.1

264.1

270.4

278.7

287.5

297.6

307.2

317.0

324.1

324.7

Total Non-Agricultural Employment**

756

772

787

814

837

830

832

855

884

924

951

950

950

932

Public Employment Share %

31.7

31.3

31.0

30.7

30.8

31.8

32.5

32.6

32.5

32.2

32.3

33.4

34.1

34.8

Total Employment**

1,024

1,030

1,039

1,060

1,078

1,068

1,064

1,083

1,110

1,145

1,163

1,151

1,146

1,122

Public Employment Share %

23.4

23.4

23.5

23.5

23.9

24.7

25.4

25.7

25.9

26.0

26.4

27.5

28.3

28.9

* Base dates vary for the data in each year. For details of each sector, refer to individual Tables earlier in Chapter and their associated guidance and footnotes.

** Derived from Labour Force Surveys as indicated in Tables 2 and 3.

†DPS Note: includes approximately 31,000 staff who transferred to An Post and Telecom Éireann on 1/1/84.

Table 42: Whole-Time Public Service Employment (1970-1983)*

(000's)

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

Civil Service

41.8

43.8

44.7

46.6

50.0

52.4

53.8

56.0

55.7

58.4

61.1

65.1

67.1

66.4†

An Garda Síochána

6.5

6.6

7.0

7.8

8.0

8.4

8.5

8.5

8.8

9.4

9.6

9.9

9.9

10.8

Defence Forces

9.8

10.1

10.6

12.1

12.3

13.5

15.6

16.6

16.7

15.8

15.5

15.8

17.4

16.5

Local Authorities

49.2

27.3

26.5

27.0

28.5

27.8

29.0

30.0

30.3

30.8

30.7

31.4

31.5

31.9

Health Services

14.6

37.8

39.4

40.9

42.6

44.7

45.3

48.5

52.0

55.1

57.0

59.4

59.5

58.9

Education

30.9

32.4

33.5

35.0

37.0

38.6

40.1

41.1

43.1

45.1

46.3

48.1

50.0

51.6

County Committees of Agriculture

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

State-Sponsored Bodies

65.0

63.0

61.0

59.0

58.0

57.6

57.0

56.9

58.8

60.9

63.9

65.6

65.8

65.7

Total

218.5

221.7

223.4

229.2

237.2

243.8

250.1

258.4

266.2

276.3

284.9

295.3

301.2

301.8

Annual change

+3.2

+1.7

+5.8

+8.0

+6.6

+6.3

+8.3

+7.8

+10.1

+8.6

+10.4

+5.9

+0.6

*See guidance notes to Table 41 and refer to Footnote (18). These date are best estimates and should be interpreted with caution.

† DPS NOTE: includess approximately 31,000 staff who transferred to An Post and Telecom Éireann on 1/1/84.

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