Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 May 2010
203 Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Finance the timeframe for the recruitment of 1,000 third and fourth level graduates to provide additional capacity and skills across the public service and in Departments to provide valuable work experience as contained in the revised programme for Government 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20746/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Renewed Programme for Government provides for the taking on of 1,000 Third and Fourth level graduates to provide additional capacity and skills across the Public Service and in Government Departments and to provide valuable work experience. These are work placements as distinct from additional posts in the Public Service.
My Department would be directly concerned with recruitment to the Civil Service and indirectly with recruitment to the wider public service. Bearing in mind the Moratorium, Employment Control Frameworks and other factors such as reductions in programme expenditure the scope for graduate recruitment to permanent positions would be limited to small numbers in specialist areas such as taxation, audit, economic/financial skills and IT sections service wide and a few casual vacancies in other disciplines.
Government Departments will be encouraged to support the FÁS Work Placement Programme. The Work Placement Programme, under the auspices of FÁS, provides valuable work experience for nine months to 2,000 unemployed individuals of which 1,000 of the places are for graduates. The programme is already available to employers in the public and private sectors.
The Draft Public Service Agreement 2010-2014 ("Croke Park" agreement) provides for the following: "There will be full support in the Civil Service and State Agencies with programmes and initiatives to support and assist the unemployed, including the rollout of the FÁS placement programme. This Programme will not displace existing graduate placement programmes".
Once that agreement is ratified my Department will write to Personnel Officers endorsing the Programme and setting out various operational details. Department and State Agencies will be able to proceed with placements at that stage.
