Written Answers Nos 137-153
138. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the criteria for the establishment and location of Intreo offices; if it is appropriate that these services should lead to existing well supported amenities being relocated. [3526/14]
View answerOne of the guiding principles of the Intreo service is to have the ability to provide access to all services in a single location rather than multiple locations serving the same community.
The one-stop-shop element is being rolled out to all existing Social Welfare Local Offices (SWLO). However, providing all services in a single location is a complex task given the wide variety of existing locations, lease arrangements and physical layouts of offices. In some locations the Department has had to operate the one stop shop service from more than one office through the use of integrated IT, standardised service offers and common branding to provide a seamless and consistent service to the customer.
There are many different criteria used in the assessment of whether to use the existing office accommodation or seek new office accommodation, but the principle criteria include:
(a) The current office space available in our SWLO and the degree to which it can accommodate all Intreo services;
(b) The condition of the building and the quality of the accommodation;
(c) Whether the building is State-Owned or State-Leased, and if leased, the terms and conditions of the lease.
Where the current accommodation is inadequate or needs to be vacated, new accommodation may be required and the Department relies on the Office of Public Works to source new accommodation. The first preference is for the use of existing State-owned property and failing this, the OPW will examine all other potential options available on the open market. The Department’s preference is for central locations in towns and cities, served by strong public transport connections, easily accessible to our customers.
Where the Department's Community Welfare Service has been re-located to Intreo offices, alternative arrangements have been put in place to ensure that customers are provided with on-going access to the supports provided by the service. In general, this means that the frequency of available public clinics has increased, an improved phone service is available and alternative arrangements are in place for those who cannot travel, for example due to illness, including arranging a visit to the client’s home, if necessary.
The Department’s services are continually monitored and kept under review by management taking account of the views of staff, users of the service and public representatives to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources with a view to providing an efficient service. I am very conscious of the need to provide efficient and effective customer facing services at a local level for clients of the Department. It is therefore essential that the services provided are reconstituted to meet the changing needs of Irish society.
139. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to introduce mandatory pension coverage for workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3693/14]
View answerThe overall objective of the pension system in Ireland is to provide an adequate and sustainable basic standard of living through direct State supports and to encourage people (through tax reliefs) to make supplementary pension provision so that they may have an adequate replacement income when they retire from work. The State pension has been successful in ensuring older people have an adequate income. Compared to the rest of the population, older people in Ireland have the lowest consistent poverty rate (at 1.9%) and are least likely to be at risk of poverty. However, many people retiring from work will have a significant income gap if they do not have supplementary pension provision.
It is a priority for the Government to increase supplementary pension coverage and the Programme for Government includes a commitment to reforming the pension system to progressively achieve universal coverage, with particular focus on lower-paid workers. Recent figures indicate that only half of workers aged between 20 and 69 years have a supplementary pension and this relatively low coverage is of major concern. The sustainability of the pension system is a particular concern because of the demographic challenges faced by Ireland, the associated increases in pension (and other age related) costs, and the deterioration in the public finances. This means that the task of financing future increased pension spending will fall to a diminishing share of the population as demographic projections indicate the ratio of working age to pensioners will decrease from 5.3/1 at present to 2.1/1 by 2060
The OECD Review of the Irish Pension System was launched in April 2013. Whilst endorsing pension policy reforms undertaken to date, the report also makes a number of recommendations for future reform. The OECD’s key recommendation is to improve the adequacy of pensions by increasing coverage in the funded part of the pensions system through a universal mandatory or quasi-mandatory employment based pension system.
The OECD has indicated in its report that its first preference is a mandatory scheme, with its second preference being automatic enrolment, whereby people would be automatically enrolled but could opt out. I have previously stated that a soft-mandatory approach such as that envisaged by an auto-enrolment scheme, using scale to achieve greater cost efficiencies for the member, is a very proactive way in which we can increase supplementary pension coverage. It is recognised that introduction of any such initiative would be best supported by a more favourable economic environment than is currently the case.
Decisions in this area are actively being considered and I expect to make an announcement shortly on future developments in pension policy.
140. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the waiting times for social welfare appeals to be decided in the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, including the key social protection benefits and allowances. [3520/14]
View answerThe average appeal processing time for 2011, 2012 and 2013 broken down by all social welfare scheme types is outlined in the tables below.
The average processing time for all appeals peaked in 2011 at 52.5 weeks for an oral hearing and 25.1 weeks for a summary decision. In 2012, processing times improved by 10.3 weeks when the average time for an oral hearing was 39.5 weeks while there was a slight increase to 27.8 weeks for a summary decision. This improvement continued in 2013 to 33.9 weeks for an oral hearing and 25.8 weeks for a summary decision.
There has been a rapid and sustained increase in the number of appeals received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office since 2009 which has placed extraordinary pressure on the office. Up to 2009, the average number of appeals received was 15,000 per annum whereas in 2012, the number of appeals received peaked at 35,484, reducing to 32,777 appeals in 2013.
In order to manage this increasing workload, significant resources and efforts have been put into reducing backlogs and improving appeals processing times for appellants, including the assignment of 15 additional Appeals Officers, in addition to 10 former Community Welfare Service Appeals Officers who joined the appeals office in 2011, bringing the total number of serving Appeals Officers to 41; reviewing and improving business processes; and implementing a new operating model within the appeals office. A major programme of process redesign and modernisation is also underway in the Department in relation to many of its scheme areas, aimed at reducing backlogs and reducing the time taken by the Department to respond to requests from the appeals office for submissions in relation to appeals.
In addition to the improvements in processing times mentioned above, these measures have also led to a significant increase in the number of appeals finalised in the appeals office from 17,787 in 2009 to 38,421 in 2013. An additional 5,863 appeals were finalised in 2013 compared to 2012. Good progress has also been made in reducing the number of appeals on hand from 20,414 at 1 January 2013 to 15,095 at 20 January 2014.
Appeal processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation. They include all activities during this period including time spent awaiting any clarification from the appellant, time in the Department for comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal put forward by the appellant, and any further investigation, examination or assessment by the Department’s Inspectors and Medical Assessors that is deemed necessary. A considerable period of time is added to the process when an oral hearing is required because of the logistics involved in this process. While this process carries an inherent delay in terms of finalising an appeal, it also crystallises the flexibility and accessibility of the appeals system.
By its nature and because it is a quasi-judicial function, the processing of appeals takes time and reflects the fact that, by definition, the appeal process cannot be a quick one.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
Appeals processing times by scheme 2011 – Summary and Oral
|
- |
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
Adoptive Benefit |
27.9 |
- |
|
Blind Pension |
20.4 |
69.8 |
|
Carers Allowance |
31.3 |
57.9 |
|
Carers Benefit |
21.8 |
59.4 |
|
Child Benefit |
47.6 |
66.0 |
|
Disability Allowance |
27.4 |
55.6 |
|
Illness Benefit |
38.2 |
59.8 |
|
Domiciliary Care |
25.4 |
55.8 |
|
Deserted Wives Benefit |
19.2 |
46.0 |
|
Farm Assist |
20.9 |
57.9 |
|
Bereavement Grant |
22.1 |
- |
|
Family Income Supplement |
19.9 |
31.8 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
36.4 |
58.9 |
|
Liable Relatives |
31.6 |
84.1 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
24.3 |
57.5 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
25.1 |
62.1 |
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
24.9 |
55.3 |
|
State Pension (Non-Cont) |
20.6 |
54.6 |
|
State Pension (Transition) |
24.4 |
66.0 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
30.7 |
54.8 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit (Medical) |
77.8 |
65.0 |
|
Disablement Pension |
48.0 |
59.7 |
|
Incapacity Supplement |
- |
48.3 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Con) |
36.2 |
62.7 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-con) |
23.9 |
59.0 |
|
Pre-Retirement Allowance |
- |
- |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) |
18.0 |
54.8 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
23.8 |
47.9 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
15.1 |
34.0 |
|
JA/JB Fraud Control |
13.7 |
24.9 |
|
Respite Care Grant |
23.4 |
60.8 |
|
Insurability of Employment |
34.0 |
72.1 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
6.3 |
17.6 |
|
Treatment Benefits |
28.8 |
- |
|
Survivor's Pension (Con) |
27.5 |
55.3 |
|
Survivor's Pension (Non-con) |
18.1 |
53.1 |
|
Widows Parent Grant |
22.0 |
- |
|
All Appeals |
25.1 |
52.5 |
2012 - Appeals Processing times by scheme 1/1/2012 - 31/12/2012 - Summary and Oral
|
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
|
Adoptive Benefit |
27.7 |
40.4 |
|
Blind Pension |
24.4 |
34.7 |
|
Carers Allowance |
33.5 |
42.5 |
|
Carers Benefit |
27.3 |
35.3 |
|
Child Benefit |
47.1 |
53.1 |
|
Disability Allowance |
34.2 |
40.6 |
|
Illness Benefit |
41.9 |
50.3 |
|
Domiciliary Care |
32.5 |
41.4 |
|
Deserted Wives Benefit |
27.6 |
45.4 |
|
Deserted Wives Allowance |
24.5 |
39.5 |
|
Farm Assist |
23.4 |
44.9 |
|
Bereavement Grant |
29.0 |
- |
|
Family Income Supplement |
22.8 |
31.2 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
38.8 |
48.7 |
|
Liable Relatives |
33.9 |
69.7 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
29.4 |
44.6 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
30.8 |
41.7 |
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
33.2 |
59.4 |
|
State Pension (Non-Cont) |
27.7 |
51.1 |
|
State Pension (Transition) |
25.1 |
49.1 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
19.5 |
66.9 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit (Medical) |
78.7 |
87.4 |
|
Disablement Pension |
35.7 |
46.0 |
|
Incapacity Supplement |
14.2 |
48.8 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Con) |
25.8 |
49.1 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-con) |
32.0 |
58.8 |
|
Pre-Retirement Allowance |
54.6 |
- |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) |
22.8 |
38.2 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
24.4 |
34.4 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
20.9 |
30.8 |
|
Respite Care Grant |
28.5 |
37.3 |
|
Insurability of Employment |
45.6 |
83.3 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
17.6 |
22.9 |
|
Treatment Benefits |
19.0 |
- |
|
Survivor's Pension (Con) |
27.1 |
60.5 |
|
Survivor's Pension (Non-con) |
30.9 |
39.1 |
|
Widows Parent Grant |
23.2 |
- |
|
All Appeals |
27.8 |
39.5 |
2013 - Appeals processing times by scheme 01/01/2013 – 30/11/2013
|
- |
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
Adoptive Benefit |
34.2 |
- |
|
Blind Pension |
24.4 |
16.1 |
|
Carers Allowance |
28.0 |
33.6 |
|
Carers Benefit |
22.6 |
27.6 |
|
Child Benefit |
29.3 |
37.8 |
|
Disability Allowance |
29.2 |
36.8 |
|
Illness Benefit |
38.0 |
43.8 |
|
Domiciliary Care |
28.3 |
35.5 |
|
Deserted Wives Benefit |
31.6 |
26.1 |
|
Deserted Wives Allowance |
12.2 |
- |
|
Farm Assist |
22.6 |
28.2 |
|
Bereavement Grant |
27.3 |
12.4 |
|
Family Income Supplement |
29.2 |
41.4 |
|
Homemaker |
19.0 |
- |
|
Invalidity Pension |
35.1 |
42.5 |
|
Liable Relatives |
32.8 |
42.9 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
30.0 |
38.8 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
28.6 |
51.9 |
|
Partial Capacity Benefit |
34.6 |
33.3 |
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
26.5 |
44.5 |
|
State Pension (Non-Cont) |
27.6 |
43.4 |
|
State Pension (Transition) |
24.1 |
43.8 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
36.1 |
62.2 |
|
Disablement Pension |
31.2 |
37.3 |
|
Incapacity Supplement |
25.8 |
60.8 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Con) |
21.7 |
46.4 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-con) |
45.5 |
27.5 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) |
21.5 |
30.3 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
20.8 |
27.2 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
21.4 |
30.0 |
|
Jobseeker's Fraud Control |
17.6 |
101.8 |
|
Respite Care Grant |
28.7 |
33.0 |
|
Insurability of Employment |
35.8 |
74.8 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
17.3 |
24.2 |
|
Treatment Benefits |
31.8 |
- |
|
Survivor's Pension (Con) |
25.5 |
41.2 |
|
Survivor's Pension (Non-Con) |
29.2 |
41.6 |
|
Widowed Parent Grant |
27.1 |
- |
|
All Appeals |
26.1 |
34.4 |
141. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Taoiseach the number of new businesses that were established in 2013; if this represents an increase from the figure in 2012; the number of jobs these businesses created; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4193/14]
View answer143. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Taoiseach the net number of jobs that were created in the creative services sector during 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4201/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 143 together.
The information requested by the Deputy is not available for 2012 or for 2013. Data for 2012 is not yet available as it is dependent on the receipt of administrative data which are filed in 2013 but are not fully available to the CSO until March 2014. The latest CSO Business Demography returns for 2011 were released on 25 July 2013. The primary purpose of Business Demography is to provide estimates of numbers of enterprises and numbers of persons engaged. The data for Business Demography is based on the CSO Central Business Register. The Business Register is a register of all enterprises that are active in the State. There is no lower size limit, but for practical reasons, Business Demography data is based on enterprises that are registered with the Revenue Commissioners. The first reference year covered is 2006.
The enterprise figures quoted in this answer relate to the private business economy, which includes Industry, Construction and Services in NACE Rev 2 sectors B–N (excluding 64.20 “Activities of holding companies”). The Deputy has requested data on the "creative services sector". Data is not collected for this classification. Data is collected for the following sectors, which would include the general services sector.
B - Mining and quarrying
C - Manufacturing
D - Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply
E - Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities
F - Construction
G - Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles
H - Transportation and storage
I - Accommodation and food service activities
J - Information and communication
K* - Financial and insurance activities
L - Real estate activities
M - Professional, scientific and technical activities
N - Administrative and support service activities
*NACE code 64.20 Activities of holding companies is excluded from sector K
Table 1 provides a breakdown of the number of enterprise births and the number of persons engaged in these enterprises for the period 2006 – 2011. In 2011, there were 11,847 new enterprise births. This was a 5.43% increase from 2010. There were 10,700 persons engaged in new enterprises in 2011.
Table 1: Total number of enterprise births and total number of persons engaged in enterprise births in Ireland in NACE Rev 2 sectors B - N, 2006-2011
|
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
|
|
Enterprise Births |
16,696 |
13,461 |
11,954 |
13,810 |
11,237 |
11,847 |
|
Persons Engaged in Enterprise Births |
17,851 |
14,922 |
13,594 |
12,397 |
10,475 |
10,700 |
It should be noted that figures provided are on a “person engaged in employment” basis and not on an employee basis. The definitions used are:
1. Persons engaged, includes employees, proprietors and family members.
2. Employees are persons who are paid a fixed wage or salary. Persons at work or temporarily absent because of illness, holidays, strike etc, are included. Persons working on a labour-only subcontract basis are excluded.
3. Proprietors and family members; included here are those proprietors (partners, etc.) and members of their families who work regularly in the firm and are not paid a definite wage or salary.
The Business Demography Press Release of 25 July 2013 is available at:
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/bd/businessdemography2011/
142. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Taoiseach the net number of jobs that were created in the construction sector during 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4199/14]
View answerThe Central Statistics Office compiles information on jobs created and destroyed and, by deduction, jobs lost by linking P35L returns from the Revenue Commissioners with the CSO Business Register. The information relates to all employing enterprises from key sectors of the business economy as classified by the standard European classification of economic activity NACE Rev. 2 B-N excluding activities of holding companies. The data are only available for the years 2006 - 2011.
Job creation for an enterprise in a given reference year is measured as the positive difference in the number of paid employees recorded with non-zero reckonable pay in the reference year compared with the previous year. Job creation in the business economy as a whole is the sum of all enterprise job creation.
Job destruction for a given reference year is measured as the negative difference in the number of paid employees recorded with non-zero reckonable pay in the reference year compared with the previous year. Job destruction in the business economy as a whole is the sum of all enterprise job destruction. It should be noted that when interpreting figures, job destruction for a particular year means that these jobs were identified in the previous year but not in the reference year, but some of these jobs may have disappeared sometime during the previous year.
An estimate of net job losses can be derived by subtracting total jobs destroyed from jobs created.
Table 1 shows the level of job creation and destruction in the construction sector each year from 2006 to 2011. A positive figure for net job losses indicates more jobs were destroyed than created relative to the previous year.
Table 1 – Net job losses for the Construction sector, 2006 – 2011
|
Construction |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
|
000s |
000s |
000s |
000s |
000s |
000s |
|
|
Jobs as measured by employment records (Number) |
277 |
284 |
229 |
147 |
111 |
94 |
|
Job creation (Number) |
70 |
59 |
30 |
14 |
17 |
17 |
|
Job destruction (Number) |
36 |
53 |
85 |
94 |
51 |
31 |
|
Net job losses (Number) |
-34 |
-7 |
55 |
81 |
34 |
14 |
144. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Taoiseach if employment in the international financial services sector increased during 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4203/14]
View answerThe Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) is the official source of estimates of employment in the State. The latest QNHS data available is for Q3 2013.
The most detailed breakdown available is at NACE 2 level. An international/domestic breakdown of this data is not available. Thus the exact information requested by the Deputy is not available.
The table below shows the number of persons employed in the Financial services sector for Quarter 3 2012 and Quarter 3 2013.
Persons aged 15 years and over in employment (ILO) classified by NACE Rev 2 Economic Sector (K) Financial and Insurance Activities
|
- |
Q3 12 '000 |
Q3 13 '000 |
Annual Change '000 |
|
K Financial And Insurance Activities |
|||
|
64 Financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding |
66.9 |
67.3 |
0.4 |
|
65 Insurance, reinsurance and pension funding, except compulsory social security |
18.5 |
21.8 |
3.3 |
|
66 Activities auxiliary to financial services and insurance activities |
7.5 |
[4.6] |
-2.9 |
|
Total Persons |
92.9 |
93.7 |
0.8 |
Reference period: q3 = July-Sep.
Parentheses [ ] indicate where estimates are considered to have a wider margin of error and should be treated with caution.
Source: Quarterly National Household Survey, Central Statistics Office.
145. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Taoiseach the number of employees here who are paid the statutory minimum wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3153/14]
View answerThe Earnings, Hours and Employment Costs Survey (EHECS) collects information from enterprises on the number of employees paid at or below the national minimum wage. The results from this survey for Quarter 2 2013, the latest period for which data is available, show that there are in total an estimated 68,500 people on the National Minimum Wage which equates to 4.5% of all employees in enterprises with three or more employees in the State.
146. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Taoiseach if he will provide details of all consultancy firms engaged by his Department during 2013; all the relevant fees paid to them during this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3586/14]
View answer155. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will provide a list of the top 20 consulting firms engaged by his Department, including public bodies, in order of fee generation or cost. [4626/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 155 together.
The table below provides details of all consultancy firms engaged by my Department and bodies under its aegis in 2013 and the total paid to them.
|
EU Presidency |
|
|
Name of Consultant |
Total Paid |
|
Caroline Erskine |
€30,553 |
|
Convention on the Constitution |
|
|
Name of Consultant |
Total Paid |
|
Q4 Public Relations |
€18,501 |
|
ROJO Management Consultants Ltd |
€4,920 |
147. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Taoiseach the total amount of outsourcing that has been achieved in his Department since the letter sent by the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, in March 2012, to all Departments; the names of the outsourcing companies that have been involved; the total savings achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3587/14]
View answerGiven the nature of my Department's functions and small size, there is not significant scope for the use of external service delivery outside of shared services initiatives already in place or being progressed.
My Department already makes use of shared services in the areas of payroll, finance, IT, library and security services as well as participating in current civil service wide initiatives such as the HR Shared Services project and the Payroll Shared Services.
My Department will also work with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on any relevant external delivery service initiatives as part of the overall public service reform programme.
148. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Taoiseach the number of new agencies and State bodies established since 9 March 2011 under the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3588/14]
View answerSince 9 March 2011, no new agencies and State bodies have been established under the remit of my Department.
149. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Taoiseach the number of semi-State companies, under his Department's remit, that have paid bonuses to their employees in 2011, 2012 and 2013, inclusive; if he will identify the semi-State companies; the number of employees and the level of bonuses paid; his views on the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3708/14]
View answerThere are no semi State companies under the remit of my Department.
150. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach the total number of jobs created on a county basis in each of the past three years to date; the number of jobs lost in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3498/14]
View answerThe Central Statistics Office (CSO) compiles information on jobs created and destroyed and, by deduction, jobs lost by linking P35L returns from the Revenue Commissioners with the CSO Business Register. The information relates to all employing enterprises from key sectors of the business economy as classified by the standard European classification of economic activity NACE Rev. 2 B-N excluding activities of holding companies. The most recent data are only available for the years 2006 - 2011. A breakdown of data by county level is not available.
Job creation for an enterprise in a given reference year is measured as the positive difference in the number of paid employees recorded with non-zero reckonable pay in the reference year compared with the previous year. Job creation in the business economy as a whole is the sum of all enterprise job creation.
Job destruction for a given reference year is measured as the negative difference in the number of paid employees recorded with non-zero reckonable pay in the reference year compared with the previous year. Job destruction in the business economy as a whole is the sum of all enterprise job destruction. It should be noted that when interpreting figures, job destruction for a particular year means that these jobs were identified in the previous year but not in reference year, but some of these jobs may have disappeared sometime during the previous year.
Table 1 below shows the level of job creation and destruction in the Business Economy each year from 2006 to 2011. A positive figure for net job losses indicates more jobs were destroyed than created relative to the previous year.
Table 1 - Net job losses for the Business Economy, 2006 - 2011
|
Business economy excluding activities of holding companies |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
|
000s |
000s |
000s |
000s |
000s |
000s |
|
|
Jobs as measured by employment records (Number) |
1,972 |
2,119 |
1,987 |
1,624 |
1,516 |
1,525 |
|
Job creation (Number) |
354 |
375 |
218 |
147 |
183 |
211 |
|
Job destruction (Number) |
198 |
228 |
350 |
512 |
288 |
201 |
|
Net Job losses (Number) |
-155 |
-147 |
132 |
365 |
105 |
-10 |
151. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Taoiseach the number of files from his Department that were released at the end of December 2013, under the National Archives Act 1986, for public inspection in January 2014; the number of files that were not released; the reasons, under the Act, for not releasing the files; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4063/14]
View answerMy Department released a total of 1107 files or file parts to the National Archive for public inspection on 1 January 2014.
16 files were withheld under Section 8 (4) of the National Archives Act, 1986. The grounds for retention under each subsection of 8(4) are:
(a) public interest;
(b) information supplied in confidence;
(c) distress or danger or defamation.
Of the files relating to Northern Ireland, 80 files were released and one was withheld.
152. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Taoiseach if he will, in respect of his Department's audit committee, provide details of its current membership; the date of appointment of each member; the fees paid to each member; if members of the committee are required to hold certain professional qualifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4224/14]
View answerMy Department's Audit Committee comprises four members, two of whom are external members. The members are appointed by the Secretary General of my Department in his capacity as Accounting Officer. The Committee is as follows:
Mr. John Malone, former Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture and Food (Chairman /external member) - date of appointment: October 2005;
Ms Elizabeth Canavan, Assistant Secretary, Department of Children and Youth Affairs (external member); - date of appointment: October 2011;
Mr. Philip Hamell, Assistant Secretary to the Government, Department of the Taoiseach - date of appointment: June 2008; and
Mr. John Callinan, Department of the Taoiseach - date of appointment: September 2011.
No fees are paid to the members of the Audit Committee.
153. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Taoiseach the number of appointments to State boards under the remit of his Department, that were made as a result of applications made through the publicjobs.ie website in the past three years; the number of board posts that were advertised on publicjobs.ie; the number of board posts that were not advertised on the website but were directly appointed; and the average pay to directly appointed board members. [4599/14]
View answerThe National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO) is the body corporate for the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), the only State Agency under the aegis of my Department. The board currently comprises the Chair and Deputy Chair of the NESC, both of whom are civil servants from my Department. No fees are payable to members of the NESDO Board.
The National Statistics Board (NSB) comprises eight persons, and appointments are made in line with the provisions of Section 18 of the Statistics Act 1993.
Since taking office four appointments have been made to the NSB. Three appointments relate to the appointment of civil servants. The Act provides that two of the positions on the Board are filled at Assistant Secretary level or higher from my Department and the Department of Finance. The Director General of the CSO is a member of the NSB, ex officio. The fourth appointment relates to the reappointment of the existing Chairperson of the NSB in 2013. The Chairperson receives an annual stipend of €8,978. Four of the seven board members are eligible to receive an annual stipend of €5,985. The other members are serving Civil Servants and receive no additional remuneration for serving on the Board. The average stipend paid to the five non-civil servant board members in 2013 amounted to €4,488.85 - this reflects the fact that one member chose not receive a stipend, and that a number of vacancies existed in late 2013.
Expressions of interest were sought for a number of unfilled positions on the NSB and consideration is currently being given to the filling of these vacancies. These vacancies were not advertised on the publicjobs.ie website.
