Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 July 2014
43. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of retired public servants who have been awarded temporary or term-time posts in his Department in 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014. [32331/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetails of retired Civil and Public Servants who were employed on short-term contracts during the period in question are set out in the following table:
2011
|
GRADE |
POSITION HELD |
DURATION |
|
1 Assistant Secretary |
Chair of the Point 7 Constituency of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria |
3-year contract for a maximum of 175 days from 31 December 2010 |
|
1 Assistant Secretary |
To assist in the preparation of files for the National Archives |
Contract for a maximum of 10 weeks spread over the twelve months of 2011 |
|
1 Assistant Secretary |
Head of Task Force in connection with Ireland’s Chairmanship of the OSCE, 2012 |
Contract from 7 January 2011 to 31 December 2012 |
|
1 Counsellor |
Relating to Ireland’s Chairmanship of the OSCE, 2012 |
Contract from 4 March 2011 to 22 December 2011 |
2012
|
GRADE |
POSITION HELD |
DURATION |
|
1 Deputy Secretary |
Tánaiste’s Special Representative in connection with Ireland’s Chairmanship of the OSCE, 2012 |
Contract for a maximum of 30 weeks spread over the twelve months of 2012 |
|
1 Assistant Secretary |
Passport Appeals Officer |
3-year contract from 20 January 2012 to deal with appeals as and when they arise |
|
1 Assistant Secretary |
To assist in the preparation of files for the National Archives |
Contract for a maximum of 10 weeks spread over the twelve months of 2012 |
|
1 Counsellor |
To assist in preparations for the Irish Presidency of the European Union in January – June 2013 |
Contract from 1 May 2012 to 30 June 2013 |
|
1 Accountant |
To provide technical support for the Finance Unit of Irish Aid |
2-month contract from February to March 2012 |
|
1 First Secretary |
Embassy Canberra (temporarily filling vacant post) |
Contract from December 2012 to March 2013 |
|
1 Temporary Clerical Officer |
EU Presidency Position |
Contract from 17 September 2012 to 8 February 2013 |
2013
|
GRADE |
POSITION HELD |
DURATION |
|
1 Assistant Secretary |
To assist in the preparation of files for the National Archives |
Contract for a maximum of 10 weeks spread over the twelve months of 2013 |
|
1 Development Specialist |
To identify and develop five case studies from the Irish Aid programme, in cooperation with Dublin City Council, for World Alliance of Cities against Poverty (WACAP) |
Contract from 1 February 2013 to 28 February 2013 |
|
1 Temporary Clerical Officer |
EU Presidency Position |
Contract from 7 January to 12 July 2013 |
2014
|
GRADE |
POSITION HELD |
DURATION |
|
1 Assistant Secretary |
To assist in the preparation of files for the National Archives |
Contract from a maximum of 10 weeks spread over the twelve months of 2014 |
|
1 Counsellor |
Passport Appeals Officer |
3-year contract from 4 April 2014 to deal with appeals as and when they arise |
The policy of my Department regarding the re-engagement of retired officials is to do so to the minimum extent possible. However, for certain once-off or short-duration projects, it is more productive and cost-effective to re-engage retired staff who already have the relevant expertise and experience than to go through a time-consuming and relatively expensive recruitment, induction and training process. Where it occurs, retired staff are usually re-engaged on a pension abatement basis, which means in effect that they continue to receive their pensions and are paid correspondingly reduced salaries by the Department.
My Department’s Development Cooperation Division also occasionally engages a small number of retired staff for short duration specialist consultancy projects connected with the activities of Irish Aid.
The temporary Clerical Officers were recruited through an open competition organised by the Public Appointments Service (PAS). It is not possible in the time scale to identify if other retired officials were re-hired as temporary Clerical Officers during the period in question. However, under the provision of the Public Service Pensions (Single Schemes and Other Provisions) Act 2012, new employees are required to declare if they are in receipt of, or entitled to, a pension from previous service in the public sector.
