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Departmental Staff

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 March 2022

Wednesday, 23 March 2022

Questions (46)

Seán Haughey

Question:

46. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will put a system in place to allow for the recruitment of personnel to work in paid or unpaid employment in Government Departments such as the Department of Justice and the Department of Social Protection to help administer the arrival of the refugees from Ukraine to Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15113/22]

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Written answers

The invasion of Ukraine has had tragic humanitarian consequences, the full impact of which are continuing to unfold. Ireland, with our EU and other partners, is committed to taking action to help Ukraine and its people.

My Department is currently working with the Minister for Finance other Government Departments in respect of estimating potential resources that may be required to support the influx of Ukrainian nationals and residents following the activation earlier this month of the EU Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55 EC) and the consequential impacts on public expenditure. A team has been established within my Department to coordinate this input to Government planning and Ireland’s overall response. The Secretary General will participate in the weekly meetings of Secretaries General of Government Departments, which will monitor developments and coordinate necessary actions, and provide weekly reports to Government.

Our Government Departments and Agencies play a critical role in welcoming Ukrainian arrivals at our airports and ports. As part of their emergency response to the unfolding crisis, all Departments are assessing their human resource requirements and are initially redeploying staff as appropriate.

In my role as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I have overarching responsibility for workforce planning in, and recruitment to, the civil service. The Public Appointments Service (PAS), which is a statutory body under my Department’s aegis, is the principal recruiter for the civil and public service.

The Client Relations Management structures within PAS ensure that there is continuous engagement in relation to the resourcing needs of its civil and public service clients. Adopting a demand-led approach to recruitment, vacancies are filled as and when required by employing Departments or Agencies subject to compliance with overall pay and numbers allocation. Officials in my Department are continuing to work closely with PAS at this time.

In summary, the situation is evolving rapidly and both I and my Department continue to respond accordingly.

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