Vol. 502 No. 3
444 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the current staffing level in the IT area; the number of staff who have resigned from the IT section since January 1998; the plans, if any, to fill these vacancies; the number of staff who will qualify for the year 2000 loyalty bonus; and the average payment to be made. [7625/99]
The number of staff positions currently filled in the Information Systems Division of the Department is 283.
A total of 52 people left the division since January 1998. Five more departures have been confirmed and are due before the end of March 1999. This has resulted in a loss of 57 people, or 20 per cent of total staff, over a 15 month period. Most of these vacancies have now been filled in the normal course.
Eighteen of the 57 staff losses were due to resignations from people taking up IT positions in the private sector. This is indicative of the continuing strong demand for skilled IT staff at a national level.
The erosion of IT skills limits the capacity of the Department to take on new IT projects, since maintenance of the existing systems must always take priority.
Every effort is made to recruit and train replacement staff as quickly as possible. There is close liaison between the Department and the Civil Service Commission to ensure that recruitment panels are maintained and that vacancies do not remain unfilled any longer than is absolutely necessary.
The issue of recruitment and retention of IT staff in the Civil Service is currently under review at central level. Certain initiatives, such as the payment of staff loyalty bonuses, have already been agreed. Final decisions in relation to the number of people who will receive such a bonus, and the payment due to each, have yet to be made.
