Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 March 2015
17. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on the continuing fall in public sector employment numbers in key areas, as highlighted by the recent Quarterly National Household Survey; the impact on public service delivery; if he envisages this continuing in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11703/15]
View answerAs the Deputy is no doubt aware, the CSO survey data which he refers to captures information on employment levels across the entirety of the Public Sector, which for the CSO includes the commercial semi-state sector - such as the ESB, RTE and Dublin Airport - as well as in the Civil and Public Service.
My Department collates data on actual numbers serving in the Civil and Public Service, which is also publicly available, and it shows that overall numbers increased by more than 1,400 in 2014, the first net increase in staff numbers since 2008. The same data also shows a considerable increase in the last quarter of 2014 in Health (700) and Education (800), which partly reflects Budget Day provisions for 1,700 more teachers, Special Needs Assistants and resource teachers, as well as additional front line staff in the Health service.
The Deputy is well aware that overall numbers were reduced under the Moratorium on Recruitment and Promotion, which was introduced in 2009 as an emergency policy response to the crisis in the public finances. Obviously, the need to reduce the cost of the Public Service necessarily involved decisions not to fill all posts. This is why our strong commitment to Public Service reform was and continues to be so important in protecting and improving the quality of public services. The whole suite of reforms delivered under the Reform Agenda over the last number of years - including additional hours in the working week and increased flexibilities in rostering has helped to offset the impact of reduced numbers to the extent that there has been a real improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of public services. These gains are now embedded in the system.
As I have already mentioned, at Budget time, when presented with a rapidly improving economy and increasingly healthy public finances, I was able to announce an end to the Moratorium and the introduction of a new form of delegated arrangement for the management of public service staffing. This new reform measure will give Departments greater freedom to respond to service needs as they arise, including considerable flexibility to make their own staffing and service delivery decisions.
