I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 166 together.
The moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service was introduced in March 2009 in response to the financial crisis. My Department operates a delegated sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for implementation of the moratorium in relation to local authorities, and any exceptions to the moratorium in local authorities require sanction from my Department.
The local government sector has been at the forefront in driving greater efficiencies and securing financial savings during the financial crisis. My Department and local authorities recognise that it is critical that the present and future workforce demographic is examined in the context of service delivery, organisational diversity, knowledge transfer, upskilling/reskilling and succession planning.
To support the sector in effectively managing the combination of staff reductions and the reform/change programme a Workforce Study was undertaken jointly by local authorities and my Department. In particular, it assessed the management requirements of local authorities bearing in mind the potential impacts of shared services and other reform initiatives. Each local authority in turn was asked to prepare a detailed workforce plan outlining how it will implement the Study’s recommendations. The individual local authority work force plan examines all categories of local authority staff, and will highlight changes in staffing levels in all areas including outdoor.
For each local authority undertaking a work force plan the Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible as described under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, which remains unchanged by the Local Government Reform Act 2014. In this regard, it is a matter for Chief Executives, in the first instance, to ensure that the moratorium is implemented while the appropriate service levels are maintained.
My Department examines all staffing sanction requests on a case by case basis having due regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of staffing and budgetary constraints in conjunction with the work force plans submitted for that local authority. Sligo County Council has recently submitted a work force plan which examines all categories of local authority staff and highlight s recent changes in staffing levels in all areas including outdoor. Each local authority is expected to meet the targets as identified in the Workforce Study, or give an indication as to how these targets will be met in the future.
The Sligo County Council work force plan is presently under review.
