Departmental Staff

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 May 2012

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Ceisteanna (442, 443, 444)

Patrick O'Donovan

Ceist:

539 Deputy Patrick O’Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to reform and reorganise the membership of the management advisory committee within his Department to provide direct representation within the committee to technical and administrative grade civil servants within his Department; his views on whether area superintendents who have direct connection with the Department's service users should be part of the committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24901/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Deputy Simon Coveney)

I am satisfied that the members of the management committee, each of whom is responsible for a significant functional area of my Department, provide representation at the management advisory committee for all staff working in their functional area. Accordingly, I have no plans to reform the membership of the management advisory committee of my Department in the manner suggested by the Deputy.

Patrick O'Donovan

Ceist:

540 Deputy Patrick O’Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has examined the options of redeployment and reorganising of existing human resources or the hiring of recently qualified or non-civil service personnel on a contract basis as an alternative to the re-hiring of recently retired veterinary personnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24902/12]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Deputy Simon Coveney)

Up until last December 2011 when my Department stopped accepting applications, it was open to any veterinary practitioner registered with the Veterinary Council, including retired veterinary officials from my Department, to apply for approval to be engaged as a part-time Temporary Veterinary Inspector on a contract for services basis and to be available to be rostered for meat inspection duties, as and when required. The question of re-hiring in respect of meat inspection duties does not arise as this is an outsourced service and those rostered are paid a fee per shift. The long standing arrangement allowing for engagement of retired vets for this purpose is being reviewed at present.

Separately, since February 2012, my Department re-engaged three former veterinary staff on a contract for services basis for a limited period, primarily to provide cover for essential functions in my Department. These contracts are due to expire later this year.

Dominic Hannigan

Ceist:

541 Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to recruit graduates to his Department this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24929/12]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Deputy Simon Coveney)

My Department keeps its staffing requirements under constant review and will seek to fill critical vacancies where necessary. My Department has a very varied staffing structure comprising administrative, technical, professional and industrial grades and, where it is a requirement of the job that the jobholder be a graduate, we will seek to fill the vacancy with a graduate.

I would also mention that my Department has participated in the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) Programme, which offers paid mentored work experience to graduates with disabilities and proposes to do so again this year.

In the current economic climate, the filling of any vacancies, of course, requires the sanction of my colleague, the minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and also requires my Department to operate within its employment control framework. In this context I have been given approval to recruit a limited number of graduates to fill specialised positions in my Department this year.