Thursday, 25 Oct 2012

Written Answers Nos. 113 - 127

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (113)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

113. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection the full cost to the Exchequer in the previous 12 months for her Department staff attending conferences including registration fees and travel. [47155/12]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Department’s records show that the direct cost of staff attending conferences in the last 12 months, including registration fees, was €9,772. The associated travel and subsistence cost was €11,134. To place this total of less than €21,000 in context, the Department employs some 7,000 people.

Departmental Staff Promotions

Questions (114)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

114. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of staff members of her Department that have been awarded internal promotions and or additional acting up or temporary allowances to perform more senior roles since 27 March 2009; the details of the grades involved; the pre-promotion temporary acting and post promotion temporaryacting pay scales; the total increase in salary payments to each staff member involved; the duration of assignments; the area to which each person was assigned; the business reasons supporting any such decision; the details of sanction received from the Department of Finance and or Public Expenditure and Reform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47170/12]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I understand that the Deputy requires this information in relation to staff at or above Assistant Principal (AP) Officer grade. My Department has been operating within the terms of the Moratorium on Recruitment and Promotions within the Public Service, and the promotions and assignments to higher duties have been effected in accordance with a number of sanctions as authorised by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). All assignments are made taking account of business demands and with the approval of senior management. The promotions effected during the period March 2009 to October 2012 are listed in tabular form at Appendix 1. The Deputy will see that there was a significant turnover in the staffing of senior management levels in my Department, particularly at Management Board, with the Secretary General, three Assistant Secretaries and three Directors retiring during 2010. These retirements resulted in consequential promotions.

In addition, under the Programme for Government, the Department has been tasked with the development of a new integrated income support and employment support service, which involved the integration of over 1,700 staff from the Community Welfare Service (CWS) of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Employment/Community Services from FAS. The Department put a new regional and divisional management structure in place, to support the new service delivery model and the Department’s business support areas. In this regard, the Department sought and received sanction from DPER for additional promotions as no senior management structure, (officials above AP level), transferred with the 1,000 staff from the HSE. Initially, eight higher duty allowances allowing staff to perform duties at Principal Officer level were awarded to manage the transfer of the CWS service and the ongoing operations and integration of this business area. These posts were subsequently assigned on a permanent basis, following a competitive process in early 2012.

The assignment to higher duties are listed in Appendix 2 and, apart from the exceptional circumstances above, are generally applied in limited circumstances only, to address issues such as long term staff absences, maternity or carers leave. Assignments varied in duration, and, as a general rule, were resorted to only in cases where the absence was expected to exceed a minimum period of twelve (12) weeks. All salary increases were in line with agreed payscales.

Appendix 1

Promotions 2009 - 2012

YEAR	Secretary General	Deputy Secretary General	Assistant Secretary	Principal Officer	Assistant Principal Officer	TOTALS
2009	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	4	4
2010	1	Nil	3	3	2	9
2011	Nil	1	1	Nil	12	14
2012	Nil	Nil	1	13	12	26
TOTALS	1	1	5	16	30	53

Promotions: Grade and Location

Promotions 2009:

4 x Assistant Principal Officer;

1 x Information Systems Division;

1 x Accounts Branch;

1 x Regional Office South East;

1 x Regional Co-ordinator Mullingar

Promotions 2010:

3 x Assistant Secretary

1 x Principal Officer, Social Welfare Services Office, Sligo

4 x Assistant Principal Officer:

1 x Facilities Management Unit

3 x Social Welfare Services Office, Sligo

Promotions 2011:

1 x Deputy Secretary General

1 x Assistant Secretary

12 x Assistant Principal Officer Posts

2 x Social Welfare Services Office, Carrick-on-Shannon

1 x Area Manager Cavan/Leitrim

1 x Area Manager Wicklow

1 x Area Manager Southern Region

1 x Area Manager Mayo

1 x Area Manager Cork

1 x Planning Unit

1 x HR Division

1 x Staff Development Unit

1 x Appeals Office, Galway

1 x General Register Office

Promotions 2012:

1 x Assistant Secretary

13 x Principal Officer Posts

1 x Accounts Branch

1 x Citizen’s Information Board

1 x Budget Division

2 x Human Resources

1 x Employer Relations

1 x Illness Benefits Branch

1 x Planning Unit

1 x Social Welfare Services Office, Sligo

1 x South East Division

1 x Western Division

1 x Midlands South Division

1 x Midlands North Division

12 x Assistant Principal Officer Posts

1 x General Register Office

1 x EU International

1 x Illness Benefits Branch

1 x PRSI Unit Waterford

1 x Community Services, Tipperary

1 x Social Welfare Services Office, Longford

1 x Social Welfare Services Office, Sligo

2 x Information Systems Division

1 x Client Identity Services

1 x Area Manager Tullamore

1 x ISD

Appendix 2

Higher Duty Assignments

YEAR	PO to A/Sec	AP to PO	HEO to AP	TOTALS
2009	Nil	1 Deputy Chief Appeals Officer	Nil	1
2010	1 Acting Chief Appeals Officer	3: 1 Deputy Chief Appeals Officer 1 Budget/Finance 1 Human Resources	Nil	4
2011	Nil	11: 1 Deputy Chief Appeals Officer 1 Deputy Chief Medical Assessor 1 Budget/Finance 1 Human Resources 1Maternity Leave 6 HSE Transition Managers	10: 6 Acting Appeals Officers 1 consequential 3  general absences	21
2012	Nil	11: 1 Deputy Chief Appeals Officer 1 Deputy Chief Medical Assessor 1 Budget/Finance* 1 Human Resources* 1 Maternity Leave 6 HSE Transition Manager*	11: 6 Acting Appeals Officers 5 general absences	22
TOTALS	1	26	21	48

* Acting positions ended in May 2012 following placement of officers on promotion to the positions noted.

Departmental Staff Redeployment

Questions (115, 116)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

115. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of staff members from her Department that have been temporarily and or permanently redeployed to other Government Departments or agencies since 27 March 2009; the details of the grades and pay scales of same; the total amount of savings achieved in salary payments in respect of the persons concerned; the duration of assignments; the business reasons supporting the redeployment of staff; the details of sanction received from the Department of Finance and or Public Expenditure and Reform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47186/12]

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

116. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of staff members that have been temporarily and or permanently redeployed to her Department from other Government Departments or agencies since 27 March 2009; the details of the grades and pay scales involved; the total increase in salary payments for her Department in respect of the persons concerned; the duration of assignments; the area to which each person was assigned; the business reasons supporting the redeployment of staff; the details of sanction received from the Department of Finance and or Public Expenditure and Reform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47201/12]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 116 together.

Since 27th March 2009, a total of 457 posts (476 people) have been permanently redeployed to my Department from other Government Departments and public sector organisations. Included in this number, are 19 public servants who are currently on secondment to the Department, pending legislation which will allow for their definitive transfer to the civil service. This figure does not include the transfer of almost 1,700 staff from the HSE and FÁS in line with Government decisions to integrate the Community Welfare Service (HSE) and the employment services and community services programmes of FÁS into the Department of Social Protection.

All redeployed staff have been assigned to deal with the additional posts sanctioned to deal with the increased volume of claims due to the downturn of the economy; critical vacancies; and to make up the short-fall in the number of support staff that were agreed to transfer from the HSE, to support the CWS staff. Table A details the grade and assignment location of the 457 redeployed posts. All salaries in payment are in accordance with standard pay scales and the Department at all times operates within its agreed Employment Control Framework (ECF) figure, administrative budget and with sanction from DPER. This Department has not redeployed any staff to other Government Departments or agencies.

Table A – Details of redeployed staff

Location	-	-	-	Grade	-	-	-	-	-	-
Location	Assistant Secretary	Principal Officer	Assistant Principal	Higher Executive Officer	Admin Officer	Executive Officer	Staff Officer	Clerical Officer	Services Grades	Total
Local Offices - Co Carlow	-	-	-	-	-	1	0.8	9.1	-	10.9
Local Offices - Co Clare	-	-	-	-	-	2	2.5	5.5	1	11
Local Offices - Co Cork	-	-	1	-	-	-	0.8	20.13	-	21.93
Local Offices - Co Donegal	-	-	-	-	-	2	2	7	-	11
Local Offices - Co Dublin	-	-	-	7	-	43.3	7.33	46.9	5	109.53
Local Offices - Co Galway	-	-	-	-	-	8	1	9	-	18
Local Offices -Co Kerry	-	-	-	1	-	-	2.5	5	-	8.5
Local Offices - Co Kildare	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	1
Local Offices - Co Kilkenny	-	-	-	-	-	1	3.5	11.9	-	16.4
Local Offices - Co Limerick	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	6	-	8
Local Offices - Co Longford	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	2	-	3
Local Offices - Co Louth	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	6	-	8
Local Offices - Co Mayo	-	-	-	1	-	2	1	5	-	9
Local Offices - Co Offaly	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Local Offices - Co Sligo	-	-	-	-	-	-	0.8	4.1	-	4.9
Local Offices - Co Tipperary	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	3	-	4
Local Offices - Co Waterford	-	-	-	-	-	4	-	1	-	5
Local Offices - Co Westmeath	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	7.33	-	9.33
Local Offices - Co Wicklow	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	2
Local Offices- Co Wexford	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1

Table A (Continued)

-	-	-	-	Grade	-	-	-	-	-	-
Location	Assistant Secretary	Principal Officer	Assistant Principal	Higher Executive Officer	Admin Officer	Executive Officer	Staff Officer	Clerical Officer	Services Grades	Total
Regional - Co Carlow	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	1
Regional - Co Cork	-	-	-	0.8	-	1	-	-	-	1.8
Regional - Co Dublin	-	-	1	7	-	10.3	1	6.6	-	25.9
Regional - Co Galway	-	-	-	0.5	-	-	-	1	-	1.5
Regional - Co Kerry	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Regional - Co Laois	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	2
Regional - Co Longford	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1
Regional - Co Mayo	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Regional - Co Offaly	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1
Regional - Co Roscommon	-	-	-	-	-	5.6	3.5	-	-	9.1
Regional - Co Wexford	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	2
Dublin HQ	1	2	5.1	6.8	2	22.6	3	45.73	1	89.23
Longford HQ	-	-	-	-	-	5	-	6	-	11
Letterkenny HQ	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1
Sligo HQ	-	-	-	3	1	2	-	6	-	12
Roscommon HQ	-	-	-	1	-	-	-		-	1
Waterford HQ	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	2
Tubbercurry, Co Sligo	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	2
Buncrana HQ	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	2
Ballybay, Co Monaghan	-	-	-	1	-	5	2.6	17.4	-	26
Grand Total	1	2	8.1	35.1	3	125.8	35.33	239.69	7	457.02

** Regional includes staff assigned to Investigative positions, Local Office Support Units and Regional Management Teams

Public Sector Allowances Payments

Questions (117)

Dara Calleary

Question:

117. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of all the Gaeltacht allowance payable to civil and public servants; the level of each allowance payable to each category and the monetary level of each allowance together with the total amount payable in 2009, 2010 and 2011. [47477/12]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Historically the Gaeltacht allowance is not been payable to the staff of my Department. However, nine staff who transferred to my Department from the HSE (Community Welfare Service), with effect from 1st October 2011, were in receipt of a Gaeltacht allowance. The terms and conditions under which the staff in question transferred provided for retention of the allowance on a personal basis. The rate of allowance payable equates to 7.5% of the basic salary of the individual officers. In the period from 1st October to 31st December 2011 expenditure on the allowance amounted to €12,462.

Aersheirbhís Fóirdheonaithe

Questions (118)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

118. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta cén uair a dhéanfar cinneadh maidir leis an tseirbhís aeir fhóirdheonaithe a bheidh ann go hOileáin Árann tar éis don chonradh reatha críochnú; cén uair atá sé i gceist léiriú spéise agus/nó tairiscintí a lorg; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [46930/12]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Dinny McGinley)

Mar is eol don Teachta, beidh an conradh don aersheirbhís fóirdheonaithe chuig na hOileáin Árann i bhfeidhm go dtí deireadh mí Lúnasa 2013. Tá mé ag scrúdú na ceiste seo faoi láthair i gcomhthéacs na gconarthaí eile atá ann do na seirbhísí iompair do na hoileáin agus déanfar cinneadh i dtráth cuí i gcomhthéacs an tsoláthair a bheidh ar fáil dom le fóirdheontais a thabhairt do sheirbhísí den chineál seo.

An Caighdeán Oifigiúil

Questions (119, 120)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

119. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta cén plé a bhí aige le Rannóg an Aistriúcháin, Tithe an Oireachtais, sula ndearnadh cinneadh cúraimí an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil a aistriú chucu; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [46931/12]

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

120. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta cén uair a fhoilseofar an leagan athbhreithnithe den Chaighdeán Oifigiúil a d'ullmhaigh an Coiste Stiúrtha ar an Athbhreithniú ar Chaighdeán Oifigiúil na Gaeilge; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [46932/12]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Dinny McGinley)

Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimhir 119 agus Uimhir 120 le chéile.

Mar is eol don Teachta, foilsíodh an Bille um Choimisiún Thithe an Oireachtais (Leasú), 2012 i mí Mheán Fómhair 2012 chun foráil a dhéanamh maidir le

- leathnú ar ról Choimisiún Thithe an Oireachtais i ndáil le reachtaíocht (lena n-áireofar reachtaíocht phríomha agus reachtaíocht thánaisteach araon) a aistriú; agus

- athbhreithniú tréimhsiúil ar Chaighdeán Oifigiúil na Gaeilge.

Bhí plé sa ghnáth-bhealach ag oifigigh mo Roinne leis na páirtithe leasmhara éagsúla, lena n-áirítear foireann ó Thithe an Oireachtais, i ndáil leis an mBille seo. Is é staid reatha an Bhille ná gur ghlac Seanad Éireann leis ar an 16 Deireadh Fómhair 2012 agus go mbeidh sé ag teacht os comhair an Tí seo go luath.

Maidir leis an gCaighdeán Oifigiúil, déantar foráil sa Bhille maidir le hathbhreithniú tréimhsiúil air ag Coimisiún Thithe an Oireachtais uair amháin gach 7 mbliana ar a laghad. I gcomhthéacs an Bhille, tá torthaí an athbhreithnithe ar an gCaighdeán Oifigiúil, a rinne Coiste Stiúrtha faoi choimirce mo Roinnse in 2010-2011, seolta chuig Tithe an Oireachtais ag mo Roinn, le breithniú go cuí i gcomhthéacs an chéad athbhreithnithe eile ar an gCaighdeán Oifigiúil.

Agriculture Schemes Administration

Questions (121)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

121. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if an interim payment will be paid to farmers in the Twelve Bens/Maam Turk Complex who left the REP scheme after applications for an agri environment options scheme two closed, in view of the agreement entered into with the farmers in this area and the fact that the National Parks and Wildlife Service scheme is closed and that AEOS 3 will not open until April 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46937/12]

Written answers

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

In September 2011, I announced an additional compensation measure for out-of-contract REPS farmers in the complex referred to by the Deputy whose plans were completed after the closing date for applications to AEOS 2. These payments of up to €4,000 per farmer ran until the 15th May 2012. I have no plans to introduce further measures. Additionally, in the Twelve Bens/Maamturk complex, my Department is making top-up payments to REPS and AEOS farmers for current restrictions. For the five years of the scheme, REPS/AEOS farmers are paid €2,000 by my Department for each year in which they have fully met the destocking and off-wintering provisions of their plans (which will run until the end of 2013). Application forms for the Year 4 top-up payments were issued by my Department last week.

Consultancy Contracts

Questions (122)

Barry Cowen

Question:

122. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide the name, costs, date of commission, date or expected date of publication and name of the external consultant of all external reports commissioned by his Department since March 2011. [47070/12]

Written answers

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department, as currently configured, was established on 2 June 2011 and therefore the available information is being provided from that date. I am advised that €39,628 was spent by my Department on external reports from consultants during this timeframe. The details requested in relation to this expenditure are set out in the table below. It may be noted that contracts for the provision of services are not included.

TABLE: Expenditure on consultancy by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht from 2 nd June 2011 to date

Name of company	Consultancy	Date report commissioned	Date report published/ received	Amount paid since 2 nd   June 2011
University of Birmingham	Research relating to Bord na Móna Peatlands Survey	December 2010	October 2012 (planned)	€28,378
Avia Solutions	Review of financial submissions relating to Aran Islands PSO contract	February 2011	June 2011	€6,300
Bonnar Keenlyside	Review of Dublin Contemporary 2011	January 2012	Publication awaited	€4,950

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (123)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

123. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the full cost to the Exchequer in the previous 12 months for his Department staff attending conferences including registration fees and travel. [47143/12]

Written answers

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

It is not possible to collate the information requested in the time-frame permitted for a Parliamentary Question but it will be sent directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Departmental Staff Promotions

Questions (124)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

124. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of staff members of his Department that have been awarded internal promotions and or additional acting up or temporary allowances to perform more senior roles since 27 March 2009; the details of the grades involved; the pre-promotion temporary acting and post promotion temporaryacting pay scales; the total increase in salary payments to each staff member involved; the duration of assignments; the area to which each person was assigned; the business reasons supporting any such decision; the details of sanction received from the Department of Finance and or Public Expenditure and Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47158/12]

Written answers

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Jimmy Deenihan)

The Deputy will be aware that my Department was established on 2 June 2011. Since that date, 1 staff member has been promoted formally at the level of Assistant Principal or above and 4 staff members have been assigned additional acting-up allowances at the level of Assistant Principal or above. Details of these assignments are set out in the tables below.

Table 1: Promotions since 2 June 2011

Grade original	Grade assigned to (date)	Payscale original	Payscale on assignment	Annual increase in salary	Area assigned to	Business reasons	Details of sanction
Wildlife Inspector Grade II	Wildlife Inspector Grade I (30-7-12)	€55,863 - €69,132	€65,247 - €80,814	€4,326	National Parks and Wildlife Service	Post required for EU compliance purposes	Sanction received from Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) on 22-2-12

Table 2: Acting-up allowances awarded since 2 June 2011

Grade original	Grade assigned to (date)	Payscale original	Payscale on assignment	Annual increase in salary	Area assigned to	Business reasons	Details of sanction
Keeper, National Archives	Director, National Archives* (8-8-11)	€65,247 - €80,814	€85,957 - €105,429	€7,811	National Archives	Statutory position vacant due to illness and retirement of former Director.	Sanction up to 31-12-12 received from DPER on 8-8-12 and extended to 31-1-13 on 25-1-12.
Assistant Principal Officer	CEO, Culture Ireland** (20-6-12)	€67,913 - €84,296	€80,051 - €98,424	€6,557	Culture Ireland	Contract of CEO of Culture Ireland had expired	Sanction up to 19-9-13 received from DPER on 20 -6-12.
Wildlife Inspector Grade II	Wildlife Inspector Grade I (14-5-12)	€55,863 - €69,132	€65,247 - €80,814	€4,239	National Parks and Wildlife Service	Post required for EU compliance purposes	Sanction up to 13-5-13 received from DPER on 22-2-12.
Wildlife Inspector Grade II	Wildlife Inspector Grade I (14-5-12)	€55,863 - €69,132	€65,247 - €80,814	€2,896	National Parks and Wildlife Service	Post required for EU compliance purposes	Sanction up to 13-5-13 received from DPER on 22-2-12.

*Position is at Principal Officer (Higher) level. A decision on the permanent filling of this post will be taken in the context of the pending Government Decision on the future of the National Archives and other Cultural Institutions.

** Position is at Principal Officer level and the period of sanction is related to the completion of the Culture Programme associated with the forthcoming EU Presidency, as well as the pending Government Decision on the future configuration of Culture Ireland.

Departmental Staff Redeployment

Questions (125)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

125. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of staff members from his Department that have been temporarily and or permanently redeployed to other Government Departments or agencies since 27 March 2009; the details of the grades and pay scales of same; the total amount of savings achieved in salary payments in respect of the persons concerned; the duration of assignments; the business reasons supporting the redeployment of staff; the details of sanction received from the Department of Finance and or Public Expenditure and Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47174/12]

Written answers

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Since the establishment of my Department on 2 June 2011, a total of 8 staff in my Department have been temporarily or permanently redeployed to other Government Departments or agencies. 2 at Principal Officer level, 1 at Higher Executive Officer level, 3 at Executive Officer level and 2 at Clerical Officer level were involved, all of whom are paid in accordance with general civil service payscales for these grades. The estimated annual saving in respect of these transfers and redeployments is €433,611. 3 of the redeployments are temporary and will cease, respectively, in November 2013, April 2014 and May 2017. Sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform was not required.

Departmental Staff Redeployment

Questions (126)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

126. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of staff members that have been temporarily and or permanently redeployed to his Department from other Government Departments or agencies since 27 March 2009; the details of the grades and pay scales involved; the total increase in salary payments for his Department in respect of the persons concerned; the duration of assignments; the area to which each person was assigned; the business reasons supporting the redeployment of staff; the details of sanction received from the Department of Finance and or Public Expenditure and Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47189/12]

Written answers

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Since the establishment of my Department on 2 June 2011, a total of 11 staff members have been temporarily or permanently redeployed to my Department from other Government Departments or agencies. 8 staff at Clerical Officer grade and 3 staff at Executive Officer grade were involved, all of whom are paid in line with general civil service payscales for these grades. The estimated annual cost of these assignments is €313,678. The assignments are on a permanent basis, with the exception of one Clerical Officer who is on secondment to my Department up to end-January 2013. The staff were assigned as follows in line with business needs:

National Archives	2 (1 x EO, 1 x CO)
National Parks and Wildlife	6 (1 x EO, 5 x CO)
Heritage Policy	3 (1 x EO, 2 x CO)

Sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform was not required.

Public Sector Allowances Payments

Questions (127)

Dara Calleary

Question:

127. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide details of all the Gaeltacht allowance payable to civil and public servants; the level of each allowance payable to each category and the monetary level of each allowance together with the total amount payable in 2009, 2010 and 2011. [47470/12]

Written answers

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

The Deputy will be aware that my Department was established on 2 June 2011. I am advised that no civil or public servants in my Department or, in any of the bodies funded from my Department's Vote Group, are in receipt of a specific Gaeltacht allowance since that date.