Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 December 2012
96. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if temporary promotions or acting-up allowances have not been a feature of the staffing arrangements for this EU Presidency, if he will confirm that his Department has been given sanction to make such arrangements detailing the number by grade involved, the date sanction was sought and the date it was given. [56297/12]
View answerThe Government agreed on 20 December, 2011, that some additional resources would be required to carry out the responsibilities of the EU Presidency which included the provision of temporary acting-up allowances where staff are assigned to positions in the Presidency normally carried out by staff of a higher grade. Appropriate staffing required by this Department relates primarily to the need for Ireland to take forward a full agenda including negotiation of the next generation of the EU education and training programme, chairing of Council working groups addressing the negotiation of the technical regulations related to operationalising the next round of European Social Fund and European Globalisation Fund funding and the negotiations on the legislative proposal published by the Commission in late 2011 for the revision of Directive 2005/36 on the recognition of professional qualifications. One of the staffing measures taken by my Department was to assign acting-up allowances to three staff currently serving in the EU Policy Unit, International Section of my Department, to enhance the section's capacity to meet the challenges of the EU Presidency. The grades are set out as follows.
Administrative Officer assigned to acting Assistant Principal Officer
Executive Officer assigned to acting Higher Executive Officer; and
Staff Officer assigned to acting Executive Officer.Sanction was sought from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for these assignments on 28th June, 2012, and granted on 12th July, 2012.
