I am aware of the comments made by the former Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trade in his report.
As the Deputy is aware, control of public service costs continues to be a key factor in this Government's economic strategy. The Department of Industry and Commerce, along with other Government Departments, are subject to restrictions on the recruitment of staff and the filling of vacanies. As a result, my Department have suffered a reduction is staffing levels which has impacted across all sections of the Department, including the Office of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trade.
Against such a background, and in common will all managers in my Department, the Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trade must continually review and update procedures, including the setting up of priorities, in order to maximise the use of avaiable resources.
In recognition of the importance placed on the Office of Consumer Affairs, significant additional staff resources were provided to the office in the course of 1990, increasing its staff complement from 23 to 30, a level which the director still retains.
I would also like to advise the Deputy that the allocation for travel purposes sought by the Office of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trade for 1990 was granted in full and, indeed, subsequently increased by a further 10.5 per cent representing an overall increase of 43 per cent on the 1989 allocation.
I have agreed to a further increase in the director's travel allocation in 1991, as a result of which his travel allocation will have increased by 122 per cent over the 1989 level.
These increases in staff numbers and in travel expenses are abnormally high and unique to that Office and as such are a cause of some concern to me given that there are severe restrictions in other parts of the Department whose work, at the least, is no less important.
