Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 March 2004
10 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his views on calls from local authority vets that all such posts should be permanent appointments; his further views on whether these appointments should be made in toto for all vets who currently have temporary appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9157/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraLocal authorities have a statutory responsibility under a number of Acts to provide a variety of veterinary services requiring the employment of veterinary surgeons. Many of these services are now encompassed by service contracts between the local authorities individually and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI.
While the Local Government Act 1941 assigns to the Minister for Agriculture and Food certain functions concerning the appointment, conditions of service and remuneration of local authority veterinary inspectors, proposals on the creation and filling of whole-time permanent posts in respect of the local authority veterinary inspectorate service are, in the first instance, a matter for each local authority concerned. It falls to each local authority to make application for such appointments as it considers necessary and such applications are then processed by my Department.
Approval is on a case by case basis having regard to the merits of each case put forward by a local authority in respect of the creation or filling of a post within its own service. Such approval is also, inter alia, conditional on the requirement that the creation of the post is not breaking any restriction in regard to the overall staffing numbers within the local authority concerned and is within existing resources. Each year my Department receives and responds to a number of such applications and this will continue to be the case. In other words, my Department will continue to respond to the needs identified by local authorities on an individual basis.
