THE NUMBER of staff in State agencies is to fall by 2,200 over the lifetime of the Croke Park agreement, new Government proposals reveal.
Under a revised action plan for the implementation of the Croke Park deal in the sector, the Department of Finance says that by 2014 overall employment in the State agency sector will fall by 18 per cent to 10,000.
The document, which is to be considered at a meeting with trade unions today, states there will be a reduction of 1,000 posts in 2011, 500 in 2012, 500 in 2013 and a further 200 in 2014.
The action plan states that the Governments policy of rationalising the number of State agencies, which began in 2008, would continue.
“In particular there will be an emphasis on reducing the number and range of agencies, redeploying staff to areas of the greatest need or where best suited to meet public service need, improving governance and performance arrangements and greater use of shared services.”
The document does not set an overall figure for the number of agencies to be abolished.
However, it states that in 2011 the Government would pursue proposals to merge the Commission for Taxi Regulation and the National Transport Authority, as well as the Railway Procurement Agency and the National Roads Authority.
The plan says that over the course of this year the training agency Fás would be restructured into a new skills agency, with many existing functions transferred to the Department of Social Protection.
The new action plan also states that there would be a rationalisation of a number of local offices of Teagasc, the farm advisory body. It says there would be a rationalisation of its research lands and a disposal of its site in Kinsealy in north Dublin.
The document states that Fáilte Ireland properties in Cork and Waterford would be rationalised. It says that the Courts Service “will continue to reduce, rationalise and create unified court offices in fewer locations”.
It also maintains that State agencies “will introduce robust performance management schemes where they are not already in place, for example in Fás”. It says that existing performance management schemes will be reviewed, “including in Fáilte Ireland which will further develop the performance management and development process already in place”.
The plan says that agencies will examine office opening hours with a view to extending or varying them, where necessary, to enhance customer service, particularly in relation to tourist information offices and in Fás.
Meanwhile, the union representing mid-level civil service staff, the Public Service Executive Union, yesterday submitted its statement of claim to the Department of Finance for its planned arbitration hearing into Government proposals to reform the traditional system of privilege days given to personnel in addition to annual leave.
The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants is seeking an arbitration hearing on the move.
The Department of Finance has proposed that, in place of the privilege days, which are taken by civil servants at Christmas and Easter, it would provide additional annual leave to some grades.
For staff with a current maximum of 30/31 days of annual leave – mainly principal officers and assistant principal officers – no additional time off would be provided. For staff with between 25 and 29 days of annual leave – mainly higher executive officers – one additional day would be added to their holiday entitlements. The department said other staff with a maximum of 24 days of annual leave or less would have two days added to their normal holidays.
