Vol. 525 No. 5
302 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his Department has secured any planners from abroad through the FÁS Jobs Ireland Campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25792/00]
As I indicated in reply to Questions Nos. 136, 155 and 279 of 8 November 2000, a range of measures are being pursued to meet the demand for planners in local authorities. While in the first instance the recruitment of planners is a matter for local authorities either directly or via the Local Appointments Commission, my Department is exploring with FÁS the potential to use the FÁS Jobs Ireland campaign to secure planners from abroad on fixed term contracts to meet the short-term demand.
Initial work, including making necessary amendments to the FÁS Jobs Ireland website to allow, among other things, the advertising of job vacancies for planners, is being undertaken by my Department in conjunction with FÁS. This work, which will be completed at an early date, will allow the recruitment process to commence.
