The announcement by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in Budget 2014 in relation to delegated sanction for staffing arrangements will provide greater discretion to Government Departments and state agencies over staffing levels, but strictly within an overall pay framework. In this regard my Department has submitted a Pay and Staff Numbers Strategy to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for consideration in respect of the non-commercial state bodies that operate under the aegis of the Department including Teagasc. It is expected that the delegated sanction arrangements, if approved, may provide some flexibility to fill critical posts within agreed pay ceilings. The allocation of resources to particular advisory locations is an operational matter for Teagasc management.