Departmental Staff

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 February 2012

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

Questions (92, 93)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

132 Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if any remuneration, stipend, expense facility, financial facility or similar payment is being made from the Exchequer to any senior public servant who has retired from his Department beyond any accrued pension entitlements; if any such payment has been sanctioned for current senior public servants who are about to retire from his Department; if he will list the name, positions and details of any relevant moneys paid or scheduled to be paid of any person in receipt of or sanctioned to receive such a payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8273/12]

Written answers

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Eamon Gilmore)

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade currently employs five retired civil servants. While it is not customary to name officials or retired officials I am setting out in the table below the reason, grade, duration and remuneration details relating to each case:

	Nature/Reason	Duration in 2012	Remuneration costs in 2011	Estimated remuneration costs in 2012
Retired Deputy Secretary	To act as the Tánaiste’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus in connection with Ireland’s Chairmanship of the OSCE, 2012	30 weeks	€0	€62,449
Retired Assistant Secretary	To act as Head of Task Force in connection with Ireland’s Chairmanship of the OSCE, 2012	Full year	€78,868	€78,868
Retired Assistant Secretary	To review departmental files prior to their submission to the National Archives	10 Weeks	€7,018	€7,018
Retired Assistant Secretary	To act as Passport Appeals Officer under the Passport Act, 2008	Dependant on number of cases dealt with	€0	Dependant on number of cases dealt with
Retired Development Specialist	Review of development cooperation programmes and projects commissioned by the Department	5 days	€9,342	€2,133

No other payments of the type described have been sanctioned for retiring officials of my Department.

Sean Fleming

Question:

133 Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will outline on a yearly basis from 2008 to 2015 in respect of staff leaving the public service in his Department; the cost of lump sums; the cost of severance payments; the cost of pensions of those leaving the service through retirement or other means; the loss of the pension levy from employees who have left; the loss of superannuation payments from retired or departed employees, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8437/12]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Eamon Gilmore)

With regard to staff of my Department, the calculation and payment of superannuation benefits is a matter for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Severance payments totalling €316,943.84 were made to former Ministerial Personal Appointees in 2011.