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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 9 Jul 1992

Vol. 422 No. 5

Written Answers. - Departmental Employees.

William Cotter

Question:

167 Mr. Cotter asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give details of the job description attached to the post of assistant principal officer in the new regional offices; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

William Cotter

Question:

168 Mr. Cotter asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will outline (1) the criteria used for appointing assistant principal officer in the new regional offices and (2) the reason for the wide disparity in the numbers of such officers in the different regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

William Cotter

Question:

169 Mr. Cotter asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give details of (1) the total number of staff in each regional office, (2) the number of these at each grade and (3) the functions attached to each grade; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 167, 168 and 169 together.

My Department's operations have recently been restructured on the basis of eight regions with centres at Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Dundalk, Sligo, Galway and Longford with the largest region, Dublin, being divided into three sub-regions. The purpose of the restructuring is to bring improved and speedier services closer to my Department's clients, to put in place management structures with a strong local identity and to enhance control mechanisms with a view to eliminating abuses of the system.

The dominant criteria in determining the numbers of staff in each region are workloads, geographic factors and population considerations. Each region is managed by a Regional Manager assisted by the Assistant Principals in that region under the general direction of my Department's Regional Director. The regional management are responsible for the delivery of social welfare services in their regions, in particular the unemployment payment schemes, the processing of claims that require client interview, the operation of control procedures, the development of an information service and liaising with voluntary and community development groups. To this end, and depending on the needs of the region, the Assistant Principals are engaged in a wide range of duties appropriate to their grade.
The selection criteria for Assistant Principals in the regions is the same as that for the grade in all other areas of my Department, including suitability for the post, relevant experience and work performance. Regard must also be had to agreements with the staff side, Civil Service Commission interdepartmental competitions, transfer applications etc. Apart from the Assistant Principals, each Regional Manager is assisted by a small number of more junior staff whose function is also to assist the Regional Manager in the effective administration of the region. The numbers and grades of staff assigned for this purpose are detailed in the following table. However, I would point out that the number engaged in such duties will vary from time to time as each regional manager has discretion to deploy the resources of the region to suit local requirements.

Grade

Dublin Region

Cork Region

Each other Region

Higher Executive Officer

1

1

1

Executive Officer

3

2

1

Staff Officer

1

1

1

Clerical Assistant

1

1

1

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