Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2017
532. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department's budget allocated to hiring staff on a Department-wide basis; the specific allocations provided to each State agency under his auspices in each of the years 2014 to 2016; and the budget allocation for 2017. [25370/17]
View answerFollowing the easing of the moratorium on recruitment in the Public Sector in late 2014, my Department secured delegated sanction from DPER in relation to overall staffing resources in May 2015. This sanction provided my Department with the flexibility to fill critical resource needs subject to adherence to specified pay ceilings which are fixed and binding for 2015-2017. The pay ceiling for the agriculture Group (including the six agencies that come under the responsibility of my Department - Bord Bia, Teagasc, National Milk Agency, BIM, SFPA and Marine Institute) as set out in the delegated sanction arrangements for each of those years was:
|
2015 - (€m) |
2016 - (€m) |
2017 - (€m) |
|
231.575 |
235.297 |
235.297 |
My Department, working closely with our recruitment partners, the Public Appointments Service, has recruited in the region of 200 staff since May 2015 across a broad range of skill sets. My Department continuously monitors our resource needs to ensure we have the right mix of skills to deliver our core functions and address challenges such as Brexit negotiations. I am satisfied that my Department has sufficient funding available to meet current needs, however this will be closely monitored over the coming months as Brexit negotiations intensify and the outcome of those negotiations becomes clearer.
Recruitment allocations for the Agencies is a matter for themselves, provided each Agency operates within the pay allocation as agreed in the estimates process.
