Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 11 Oct 1994

Vol. 445 No. 6

Written Answers. - Passport Office Staffing.

Noel Ahern

Ceist:

112 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of the numbers recruited and the duration of their recruitment from the temporary civil servant panel to the Passport Office for seasonal work for each of the last six years; the number of extra full-time staff so recruited in the same period; the number of these that could be regarded as surplus to requirements following decentralisation of various Government offices; and if the opportunities to those on the temporary panel are falling due to the decentralisation programme. [309/94]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

The number of temporary staff recruited to the Passport Office and the duration of their contracts varies depending on the level of seasonal demand. The following table gives details of the recruitment of temporary clerical assistants in the last six years.

A survey of staffing structures in the Passport Office, conducted by the Department of Finance last year, recommended an increase in the permanent staff of the Passport Office from 48 to 82, and a maximum peak season temporary staff of 54. The recommendations of the Department of Finance report were accepted on the basis that an increased level of permanent staffing would help ensure that the Passport Office was better equipped to deal with demand on a year-round basis. As part of the implementation of the report's recommendations a confined competition was held among serving temporary staff in the Passport Office, from which six permanent appointments were made to my Department.

Subsequent increases in the level of demand for passports in the early part of this year led to the redeployment of an additional 23 staff from the Central Statistics Office and the Revenue Commissioners (who became available because of the decentralisation programmes of these Offices), to the Passport Office.

While the increase in the number of permanent staff in the Passport Office will involve some decrease in the numbers of temporary staff recruited in the future, I can assure the Deputy that there will be a continuing need for substantial numbers of temporary staff during the peak season in the Passport Office. I would also like to emphasise to the Deputy that the decision to move towards a higher proportion of permanent staff in the Passport Office was taken as a result of Department of Finance recommendations on efficiency and not as a consequence of the Government's decentralisation programme.

Recruitment of Temporary Clerical Assistants to the Passport Office, Dublin 1989-1994.

Length of contract	Number Recruited
1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
0 to 3 months	15	1	5	13	8	5
3 to 6 months	10	18	35	29	30	35
6 to 9 months	16	31	13	19	12	28
9 to 12 months	49	37	17	24	30	0
Total	90	87	70	85	80	68