asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food whether he accepts the figure of 500 as being the number of surplus staff in his Department, being the figures quoted by the Taoiseach at the last IMI Conference in Killarney, County Kerry; and the way in which he reconciles this statement with his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 42 of 17 November 1988 when he stated that a reduction of 273 through normal retirement, early retirement and career breaks greatly exceeded the number of staff identified as surplus at the time of the audit.
Written Answers. - Staff Numbers.
124.
The report of the efficiency audit of my Department identified areas where possible savings of almost 500 staff might be achieved over a two to three year period. Much of the saving was identified as being dependent on the termination of certain activities, for example, disposal of all remaining lands acquired by the Land Commission and the consequent winding down over a period of related activities. The report also identified areas where additional staff was required.
Since the report was completed, the reduction in the staffing of the Department already exceeds the number which it identified as likely to be surplus to the requirements of the Department's workload at this stage.