Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Oct 1991

Vol. 411 No. 2

Written Answers. - Departmental Staff.

Roger T. Garland

Question:

39 Mr. Garland asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will outline, within the area of responsibility of his Department and covering each year from the commencement of the job-sharing and career break schemes (a) the total number of applications received and (b) the total granted and not granted; if he will give a breakdown of the grades involved under each heading and the reasons some applications were turned down; if his Department have any plans to extend the job sharing scheme from working halved hours to a system which facilitates the workers requirements; and if not, the reasons therefor.

Minister for Social Welfare (Dr. Woods)

The conditions governing the career break and job sharing schemes in the Civil Service are laid down by the Department of Finance. Any alterations to those conditions would be a matter for that Department. It is understood, however, that there are no plans for any such changes at present.

Since the introduction of these schemes in 1984 a total of 612 career breaks and 285 job-sharing applications have been granted. There are 291 staff on career breaks and 262 staff job-sharing at present. Details of the applications granted and of the grades involved are set out in a tabular statement which will be made available to the Deputy.

Records in my Department are not maintained in such a manner as would enable precise information on the total number of applications or the exact numbers refused to be extracted without the expenditure of an inordinate amount of time and effort. However, I can say that refusals were almost exclusively confined to those applications that did not come within the scope of the schemes as laid down by the Department of Finance.

Since the parameters of the schemes were well known to the staff, the vast majority of applications were received only from those who knew they were eligible. Accordingly, there were very few refusals. In the case of the career break scheme, the need to retain specialist expertise in key areas of Departments was the main reason for refusing applications.

Job-sharing applications which come within the scope of the scheme are generally approved but delays can occasionally occur in finding a job-sharing partner in the required location.

Career Break Applications Approved.

	ASec	PO	AP	SWS	SWO	HEO	AO	EO	SO	CO	CA	Total
1984				1	4	1		4	4	11	18	43
1985					13	1		5	4	21	70	114
1986	1					10	1	1	4	30	59	106
1987		1	1		9		1	5	1	25	35	78
1988		1	1		14	1		13	1	33	62	126
1989					1	1		2	2	15	43	64
1990						1		1	3	10	23	38
1991					1	1		2	3	14	22	43
Totals	1	2	2	1	42	16	2	33	22	159	332	612

Job Sharing Applications Approved.

	HEO	SWO	EO	SO	CO	CA	Total
1984			4	2	10	8	24
1985			2	4	5	1	12
1986				3	6	3	12
1987		2		4	9	8	23
1988			1		11	10	22
1989			1	7	25	25	58
1990			6	7	29	23	65
1991	4	2		7	28	28	69
Totals	4	4	14	34	123	106	285