Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 5 Nov 1991

Vol. 412 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Customs and Excise Staff Levels.

Mr. D. Ahern

First, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise this very important issue so quickly on the Adjournment. The report which was issued yesterday to staff members of the Customs and Excise service is a fairly lengthy document. I would like to refer to one or two sections of it which are the source of grave concern for me, quite a number of other Deputies and others with an interest in this matter. The report refers to the implications of the completion of the Internal Market in 1992 on staffing levels throughout the country, particularly in the ports and Border regions in which I have a particular interest. It indicates that it is definite that problems will arise and it identifies a number of black spots: all the land frontier zone, including Dundalk, the major airports and ferry ports, Dublin, Rosslare and Cork.

Let me refer to the report in relation to my own area, the land frontier Customs and Excise staffing area, including Dundalk, where at present 285 people are employed. The indications are that there will be a surplus of 164 or 57 per cent — a significant percentage — in this area. In the Dundalk area alone where 140 people are employed at present it is anticipated that there will be a surplus of 73 staff. Needless to say the effect this would have in the Dundalk area would be horrendous. While I am aware the Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners have shown good will and will try to relocate staff in the areas in which they are located, I want to impress upon the Minister of State the need to ensure that these staff are retained in the Dundalk area. With an unemployment level of 30 per cent we can ill-afford to lose 70 or 80 jobs.

I should also make the point that many of those employed in the Customs and Excise service are middle aged, have families, mortgages, have made commitments and set down their roots and they do not want to be relocated away from their homes in the wider public service. They have made their homes in the Dundalk area and want to remain there. I ask the Minister of State to concentrate on this matter in his negotiations.

The decentralisation programme would fit in very snugly into the scenario in 1992. Dundalk is one of the areas identified. While the programme in relation to Dundalk has been dogged with bad luck during the past few years, I am glad there have been some moves. I ask the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works to ensure that negotiations take place expeditiously with the local authority and private developers in the area so that a site in Dundalk is obtained as quickly as possible and work can begin on decentralisation.

I am also glad the Minister for Finance has decided to decentralise sections of the Office of Public Works and the Revenue Commissioners to Dundalk. I hope this will provide an opportunity to take up some of the surplus staff. I urge the Minister of State and the Minister for Finance to ensure that in the negotiations that will take place with the Revenue Commissioners and the Customs and Excise service staff that those staff who will be surplus to requirements from 1 January 1993 will be relocated in the Dundalk area. Finally, I urge the Minister of State to look very closely and carefully — this is on the agenda of the Customs and Excise service staff — at possible new avenues at work in the Customs and Excise area.

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Mr. V. Brady)

I thank Deputy Ahern for raising this issue at this time. The completion of the Internal Market in accordance with the provisions of the Single European Act and in particular the abolition of internal frontier controls, will mean considerable staffing, operational and other changes for the Customs and Excise service. The Revenue Commissioners have now produced a report on the staffing implications for the Customs and Excise service of the planned completion of the Single European Market on 1 January 1993 and in particular, the elimination of the fiscal frontiers and border controls between member states.

This report was presented by the Revenue Commissioners to staff unions representing Customs and Excise grades yesterday. In summary it shows that a potential surplus of 584 Customs and Excise staff will arise as a consequence of the introduction of the Internal Market. This surplus figure is based on the current assessment of post-1992 staffing requirements taking account of decisions taken so far at EC and national levels. It will be necessary, of course, to review, on a continuing basis, the assumptions made in the report in so far as those might be impacted upon by decisions outstanding in relation to the completion of the Internal Market.

Within this overall outcome, it is clear the impact of the Single Market changes falls unevenly on Customs and Excise locations. Understandably, areas with a heavy customs preventive work element such as the border areas will suffer the most. These areas will require special attention to avoid hardship to Customs and Excise staff and their families.

In the report presented yesterday the Revenue Commissioners have outlined proposals aimed at reducing the surplus figure of 584. These proposals envisage the enhancing of existing areas of work currently undertaken by Customs and Excise staff such as the control of drugs and other illicit traffic and the control of duty-free sales to better cater for the post-1992 environment. Also, the commissioners have put forward proposals for the involvement of Customs and Excise staff in the new areas of work which will arise post-1992 but on which final decisions have yet to be taken. These areas would include motor vehicle taxation, trade statistics and trade in excisable products. I have no doubt that these proposals will prove fruitful in reducing the surplus referred to.

The Revenue Commissioners have made it clear that it will not be possible to address the surplus staff situation solely within the Customs and Excise area. They have, therefore, put before the staff and the staff unions concerned the necessity to accept that solutions to the surplus staff situation must be sought within revenue as a whole and within the wider public and Civil Service areas. They have put forward in this context a specific proposal to absorb surplus Customs and Excise staff through access to decentralisation posts in Revenue and in the wider public and Civil Service areas.

The Deputy will be aware that in the current phase of the decentralisation programme the Revenue Commissioners are relocating about 900 staff to the Limerick, Ennis and Nenagh areas. Furthermore, the Deputy will be aware that in the next phase of the decentralisation programme the Government have decided to relocate staff to Tullamore, Cork, Portlaoise, Wexford, Kilkenny, Waterford and Dundalk, areas in which staff surpluses have been identified in the 1992 context. It is obvious therefore that the relocations to these centres provide the opportunity to absorb staff in their local communities. There are other proposals to absorb surplus Customs and Excise staff included in the report.

The Minister is considering the report produced by the Revenue Commissioners following the above review together with their proposals to provide alternative work for the surplus Customs and Excise staff within Revenue or the wider public and Civil Service context.

The implementation of these proposals will demand a high degree of flexibility and co-operation on the part of the staff and the unions concerned. I would be hopeful that this will be forthcoming. Clearly the Revenue Commissioners have put a lot of effort into designing a strategy, the ultimate aim of which is to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, a career is provided for all Customs and Excise staff in, or close, to their present locations. The commissioners have acknowledged and the Minister also wishes to acknowledge the service to the State made by the highly skilled and highly motivated Customs and Excise staff. I feel that every effort must be made to ensure the continuation of this contribution and that the negotiation process now being undertaken must be given every chance, through co-operative flexibility on all sides, to ensure that this is achieved.