asked the Minister for the Public Service if he accepts that the three in one embargo on employment in the public service has caused a situation in certain Departments where long periods of overtime are now a fact of life; if he will consider removing that embargo to allow Departments to carry out their functions in the proper manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Public Service Employment.
609.
The embargo whereby only one vacancy in every three in the Civil Service may be filled came into operation on 23 December 1981 and has resulted in substantial economies in numbers employed. In the vast majority of Departments/ offices overtime expenditure in the last full year since then, viz 1983, has been contained at 1981 outturn levels or reduced. When account is taken of such factors as increases in pay rates and incremental progression there was, in fact, a significant decrease in the volume of overtime during the period.
In the very small number of cases where an increase in the cost of overtime occurred, it was not attributable to any significant extent to the one-in-three embargo.