My Department does not employ any agency staff but 38 staff are employed on a contract basis. This figure includes 20 staff who were recruited on a contract basis to support Ireland's work on the EU Presidency. Their contracts will end following the EU Presidency in July, 2013. It also includes 18 contract staff in my Department who are staff I appointed and whose contracts are coterminous with my term of office as Taoiseach or the term of the office of the Government Chief Whip or the Leader of the Seanad e.g. my Special Advisers, Personal Assistants, etc. All staff on contracts are included in my Department's payroll. Their salary costs are monitored and managed as part of the overall payroll management system together with the payroll costs for permanent staff.