Vol. 432 No. 1
136 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Justice the total number of hours of overtime worked, in the most recent twelve month period for which figures are available, by persons employed by her Department or by public bodies under the aegis of her Department; the proportion this represents of total man hours worked; and the impact the proposed EC Directive on working hours will have on reducing this level of overtime.
With the exception of the Garda Síochána and the Prison Service, overtime in my Department is allocated and monitored on an expenditure basis and accordingly, records are not maintained in such a way that would make it possible to furnish the information sought without the expenditure of a disproportionate amount of staff time, which could not be justified.
The implications of the proposed EC Directive on the Organisation of Working Time in so far as the level of overtime in my Department's area of responsibility is concerned will be considered in due course. The implications of the directive in so far as the Garda and Prison Services are concerned, are not entirely clear at this point, but will be examined when the full implications are known.
