Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 10 Mar 1992

Vol. 417 No. 1

Written Answers. - Civil Service Staff Training.

Gay Mitchell

Ceist:

319 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will outline, in respect of his Department and of any Civil Service office under his aegis, (1) the number and grades of the full-time staff engaged in the staff training unit, (2) the nature, number and duration of the training courses given during 1991, (3) the grades catered for on these courses and the numbers in each grade who attended, (4) if he has any plans in relation to the development of the training unit, (5) the number of those who attended courses at the Civil Service Training Centre in each of the years 1989 to 1991 and (6) the number of staff who are paid a refund of, (a) full fees and (b) part fees in respect of attendance at educational courses leading to the award of degrees, certificates and other qualification; and if, in the case of (b) above he will further outline the percentage of the fee which is refunded and the way in which that percentage was determined.

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

The departmental training office as at present constituted is staffed by one higher executive officer. No internal training courses were given during 1991, but my Department arranged and paid for specialised training at outside institutions in that year for the courses and the grades of staff detailed on the following annex.

The number of those attending courses at the Civil Service Training Centre in each of the years 1989 to 1991 is as follows: 1989, 72; 1990, 44; and 1991, 39.

In 1991 refunds of third level course fees were paid at the rate of 80 per cent to 50 staff. One head of techncial staff, whose course of study was an essential requirment for the area of work involved had course fees paid at 100 per cent. The percentage of fees refunded depends on the total number and cost of eligible course applications and the amount of funds available for the training budget.

My Department are undertaking an analysis to determine further training requirements which will enable them to set down training priorities for the very widely deployed staff.

Annex.

Nature	Number of courses	Duration of courses	Total Number of staff	Grades of staff and number attending
Farm Development Service Technical Training	4	1 week	256	38 (DSs), 16 (SAOs), 192 (HAOs), 10 (AOs).
Safety Courses	2	3 days	12	4 (S. Tec.), 2 (Tec.), 1 (S. Asst.), 2 (Lab. Att.), 1 (EO), 1 Farm Attendant, 1 (SRO).
Technical Training Conferences-Seminars	39	1 day-4 days	84	63 (AI/AAIs), 10 (VI), 5 (ROs), 1 (PO) 1 (AP), 1 (Asst. Sec.), 3 (HEOs.).
Language Courses French Conversation Classes	1	Ongoing	17	1 (Asst. Sec.), 1 (SVI), 2 (HEOs), 8 (EOs), 5 (CA/COs).
Internal Audit Courses	5	3 days-1 week	10	1 (Accountant), 4 (HEOs), 5 (EO's).
Word Processing Courses	5	2 days-1 week	58	1 (HEO), 1 (EO), 1 (SO), 1 (CO), 54 (CA/CA Typists).
Programmer Courses	3	1 day-3 weeks	29	6 (HEOs), 1 (RO), 1 (AO), 1 (EO), 17 (CO).
Spreadsheet Courses	1	2 days	6	2 (HEO, 1 RO), 1 (AO), 1 (EO), 1 (CO).
PC Courses	2	2 days	2	1 (AAI), 1 (SO).
Systems Analysis	1	5 weeks	3	2 (HEO), 1 (EO).
Operating Systems and Technical	6	2 days-2 weeks	17	3 (APs), 9 (HEOs), 5 (EOs).