Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 July 2016
354. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total peak number of staff employed by the passport service per annum from 2010 to 2016 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19665/16]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy on staffing in the Passport Service is set out in the following table:
|
Year |
Permanent Staff |
Temporary Staff (TCOs) |
Total |
|
30 June 2010 |
*303.3 |
52 |
355.3 |
|
30 June 2011 |
*320.1 |
83 |
403.1 |
|
30 June 2012 |
*301.3 |
121 |
422.3 |
|
30 June 2013 |
*296.6 |
136 |
432.6 |
|
30 June 2014 |
*277.5 |
155 |
432.5 |
|
30 June 2015 |
*268.8 |
164 |
432.8 |
|
30 June 2016 |
291 |
200 |
491 |
*FTE – full-time equivalent
In order to respond to the seasonal spike in demand from April to August and a more general increase in applications this year, a total of 233 Temporary Clerical Officers have been recruited so far in 2016. The number of these officers in position at present is lower as a number of staff have been offered permanent positions and longer contracts in other government departments.
The Passport Service will continue to closely monitor the demand situation in order to ensure the effective deployment of staff resources and to minimize the impact of the high volume of applications generally on turnaround times and on customer service. The need for additional resources, including Temporary Clerical Officers, will be kept under ongoing review.
