Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 March 2022
820. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of staff of his Department, given the pandemic, who will have to take more than a week's holidays before 31 March 2022; if this will impact the level of service his Department is able to provide to farmers in any way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10841/22]
View answerMy Department is aware of the commitment of its staff throughout recent challenging times. There are currently 1,045 staff in my Department in Annual Leave Cycle 3, with more than 5 days annual leave still to take. Ordinarily, staff in Cycle 3 must take all remaining leave before the end of the leave year or forfeit it.
As you are aware, the agriculture sector was considered to be an essential service throughout the pandemic and the staff of my Department remained on duty to support the farmers and others involved. Some staff had annual leave requests denied or have been unable to take all their leave in order to maintain services during this critical time.
However, the Department has put in place a plan to manage the accumulated annual leave in a way that is fair to staff and also makes sure that the Department's work is not interrupted.
In recognition of these unusual circumstances, a concession has been made to allow staff members request a carry forward of annual leave into the 2022/23 leave year if they cannot take it this year.
This practise will allow local managers to consider business needs in tandem with staff wellbeing.
In maintaining appropriate staffing levels, my Department will continue in its delivery of quality customer service while ensuring its Divisions are adequately resources so as to minimise any disruption to stakeholders.
