Committee Reports::Report - Review of Department of the Public Service::29 May, 1985::Appendix

APPENDIX V

PUBLIC SERVICE MANPOWER PLANNING AND CONTROL RESPONSIBILITY APPENDIX V

 

Staffing Levels

Remuneration and Conditions of

Appointment

Dismissal

 

 

Service

 

 

Non-Industrial

Minister for the

Minister for the Public Service

Minister of Individual

Government

Civil Service

Public Service

 

Department (promotions

 

 

 

 

are subject to the

 

 

 

 

approval of Minister

 

 

 

 

for the Public

 

 

 

 

Service)

 

Gardai

Government

(1) Remuneration and Superannuation

Gards Commissioner

Gards Commissioner

 

 

- Minister for the Public Service

 

following certain

 

 

(2) Other Conditions - Commissioner

 

procedures (& in some

 

 

/Minister for Justice with

 

cases with the

 

 

agreement of Minister for the

 

consent of the

 

 

Public Service/Minister for Finance

 

Minister for Justice

 

 

where appropriate

 

 

Defence

Minister for Defence

(1) Remuneration and Superannuation

(1) Officers: President on advice of

Forces

with consent of

- Minister for the Public Service

Minister for Defence

 

Minister for Finance

(2) Other conditions - Minister for

(2) Other ranks: Minister for Defence

 

 

Defence with agreement of Minister

 

 

 

 

for Finance, where appropriate

 

 

Defence

Ministers for

(1) Remuneration and Superannuation

Minister for Defence

Civilians

Defence with consent

- Minister for the Public Service

 

 

 

of Minister for

(2) Other conditions - Minister for

 

 

 

Finance

Defence with agreement of Minister

 

 

 

 

for the Public Service/Minister for

 

 

 

 

Finance, where appropriate

 

 

Local

Local authority with

Local Authority with agreement of

Local Authority in accordance with

Authority

approval of Minister

Minister for the Environment

regulations made by Minister for the

(officers)

for the Environment

Environment

 

Local

Local Authority only

(1) Remuneration - Minister for the

Local Authority

Local Authority

Authority

 

Environment

 

 

(Servants)

 

(2) Other conditions - Local

 

 

 

 

Authorities

 

 

Health Boards

Boards, subject to

Boards, in accordance with

Boards, subject to

Boards, in accordance

 

directions issued by

directions issued by Minister for

directions of Minister

with regulations made

 

Minister for Health

Health

for Health

by Minister for

 

 

 

 

Health

Non-commercial

Boards, sometimes in

(1) Remuneration and Superannuation

Boards

Boards

State

consultation with

- Minister for the Public Service

 

 

sponsored

responsible Minister.

(2) Other conditions - sometimes in

 

 

Bodies

(Sanction of Minister

consultation with the responsible

 

 

 

for the Public

Minister. (Sanction of Minister

 

 

 

Service/Finance

for the Public Service/Finance

 

 

 

required in some

required in some cases)

 

 

 

cases)

 

 

 

Commercial

Boards

(1) Superannuation and pay of

Boards

Boards

State

 

Chief Executives only - Minister

 

 

sponsored

 

for the Public Service

 

 

Bodies

 

(2) Other conditions - Boards

 

 

Primary

No statutory controls

Teachers

 

 

 

 

Secondary

- - -

Teachers

- - -

Community &

- - -

Comprehensive

 

 

 

 

Teachers

- - -

Vocational/

VECs with approval of

Minister for Education

VECs with consent of

VECs and, in the case

RTCs

Minister for

 

Minister for

of officers, with

 

Education

 

Education

approval of Minister

 

 

 

 

for Education

NI and

Institutes with

Institutes, with consent of

Institutes, with

Institutes, and in

other third

approval of Minister

Minister for the Public Service

approval of Minister

cases of officers,

level

for Education and

 

for Education and

with the consent of

Institutes

concurrence of

 

concurrence of

Minister for

 

Minister for Finance

 

Minister for Finance

Education

Universities

Universities, except

 

 

 

 

in the case of senior

 

 

 

 

academic positions in

No statutory controls

 

the NUI where a

 

 

 

 

Statute must be laid

 

 

 

 

before Dail Eireann

 

 

 

Letter from the Clerk to the Committee to the Department of the Public Service

Dear Secretary,


I am to confirm that the Committee on Public Expenditure will resume hearing evidence on your Department at its next meeting on Tuesday 1 May at 4 p.m. in Committee Room G.24, Kildare House.


You will recall that the Committee requested a statement on the distinction between the functions of the personnel sections in the various Departments/ Offices and those areas for which your Department is responsible. I would be glad if you could forward same to me in advance of the next Committee meeting.


It may be some weeks before a transcript of yesterday’s meeting becomes available due to the demands on the staff of the Editor of Debates.


Yours sincerely,


Clerk to the Committee.


18 April, 1984.


Letter from the Department of the Public Service to Clerk to the Committee

I refer to your letter of 18 April 1984 about the request by the Committee on Public Expenditure for a statement on the distinction between the functions of the Personnel Sections in the various Departments/Offices and those areas for which this Department is responsible.


I enclose herewith a statement as requested. There are a few points which I would like to make in relation to this statement and to the matters raised during the proceedings of the Committee on 17 April 1984.


First, I would draw attention to the definition of personnel work used in the discussions with the Committee. This definition is that adopted in the written reply to the Parliamentary Question by Mr. Richard Bruton T. D. on 8 November 1983 (copy attached). In a note to that reply it was indicated that Departments, in supplying the information, were asked to include staff engaged in personnel, organisational, industrial relations and training work. The definition, therefore, covers personnel work in its widest sense.


Second, although the question asked for the number of civil servants employed in each Government Department, the duties of the staff employed in the personnel functions extend, in some cases, to State employees other than civil servants. These were, at the date of the question, some eight thousand industrial and fee-paid employees of Government Departments and some two thousand civilian employees attached to units of the Defence Forces who were also dealt with by the personnel functions in their Departments. Furthermore, in some Departments, the personnel functions deal with the formulation of personnel policy, including industrial relations work, for associated sectors of the public service such as the Health Boards, local authorities and the Defence Forces. These factors account for the higher than average proportions of personnel staff to other civil service staff in such Departments as Health, Environment and Defence.


Third, the main principle on which the personnel work is split between this Department and other Departments is that the Minister for the Public Service by statute has ultimate responsibility for laying down arrangements for the regulation and control of the civil service.


As a general statement, the individual Departments are concerned with day-to-day personnel management and administration (including negotiation with unions on Departmental matters) within guidelines, sanctions and regulations laid down by this Department. In exercising their day-to-day functions, Departments may, and do, draw on the advice, support and expertise of this Department and also avail of such central services as the Civil Service Training Centre, Operations Research and Management Services. It may be helpful for the Committee to have a copy of the Civil Service Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme which spells out the division of functions between this Department and the Departments in the areas covered by the scheme.


Finally, it might be noted that, of the 424 staff employed in the Department of the Public Service, 203 are employed in the Central Data Processing Services where they are mainly engaged on the provision of computer services for other Departments and Agencies; 55 are engaged in common services such as typing, messenger services, registry etc. and 8 have been included in the figure of 1,050 given in reply to the Parliamentary Question. The number engaged in dealing with the functions for which this Department is responsible (as set out in the statement) is therefore 158.


Yours sincerely,


Secretary.


27 April, 1984.


Statement of Functions of Personnel Sections in Departments/ Offices and those areas for which the Department of the Public Service is responsible

Note Personnel is to be taken as including the organisation and industrial relations functions

1. Functions of Personnel Sections in Departments/Offices

- To advise management on Departmental structures and the organisation of the Department and its associated Agencies


-To advise, promote and assist in the provision of systems for carrying out the Department’s work in the most cost-effective way


-To review and propose staff numbers and gradings


-To advise on, and control, purchases of office machinery and equipment


-To engage necessary management expertise, including consultants, as required


-To ensure the filling of authorised vacancies by recruitment, promotion or redeployment


- To implement Departmental staff appraisal and assessment schemes and to ensure their effective operation


-To ensure appropriate training for the staff of the Department by


induction and formal training courses run by the Departmental Training Officer


on-the-job training


specialised training for Departmental grades


courses run by the Civil Service Training Centre, the IPA etc.


-To ensure the development of staff through


planned placement and mobility


post-entry education


-To deal with day-to-day personnel matters (involving in many cases discussion with local branches of unions)


probation and promotion


sick, annual and other leave


disciplinary problems


termination of service


superannuation


-To maintain all necessary staff records


-To provide appropriate welfare services


-To operate, in conjunction with the Department of the Public Service, the Departmental aspects of the relevant systems of negotiation of pay and conditions for civil servants, including the Departmental Conciliation Councils


-To operate, where appropriate, in consultation with the Department of the Public Service, relevant systems of negotiation of pay and conditions for non-civil service staff under the aegis of the Department


-To maintain liaison with State-sponsored bodies and other public service agencies to ensure consistency with Government policy on pay and conditions


-To provide necessary accommodation (in association with the Office of Public Works) and to maintain security and safety arrangements


-To manage central services for the Department (e.g. messenger, typing, telephone and registry services)


-To ensure satisfactory arrangements for dealing with the public.


2. Functions of the Department of the Public Service

-To advise on the overall structural and systems requirements of the public service


-To advise on the machinery of the public service generally and to develop legislative measures where required e.g. amendments to Ministers and Secretaries Acts, Ombudsman, etc.


- To develop appropriate management systems


-To advise on, and provide, a central pool of special management skills, e.g. O&M, operations research, technology


-To control central Government expenditure on office machinery and equipment


-To review organisation efficiency and effectiveness in conjunction with Departments


- To co-ordinate, control and advise on, the engagement of special expertise (including consultants)


-To promote satisfactory arrangements for dealing with the public


- To co-ordinate and control recruitment and promotional procedures in the civil service to ensure the availability of adequate numbers of staff with appropriate skills


-To develop and co-ordinate systems of staff appraisal, motivation, development and training for civil servants and to provide and promote training and educational facilities either directly through the Civil Service Training Centre or through the Institute of Public Administration or other institutions


-To adapt personnel policies to changing economic and social conditions (job sharing, career breaks, employment of the handicapped, provision of welfare services etc.)


-To promote the use of the Irish language in the public service


-To oversee, control and co-ordinate numbers and gradings of civil service staff and to contribute to policy on public service numbers generally


-To review and advise the Minister/Government on developments in pay, conditions and industrial relations in the public sector


-To contribute to the development of national incomes policy, especially within the public sector


-To advise on and, where appropriate, act as negotiators for the Government as employer in national or public service pay negotiations


-To operate the central negotiation systems and procedures for pay and conditions for civil servants; to participate, where appropriate, in negotiating systems for other public service groups and to maintain liaison with Departments and other public sector bodies to ensure consistency with Government policy


-To make rules and regulations governing the conduct and activities of civil servants


-To settle the annual estimates for, and monitor expenditure on, the Exchequer pay bill


-To administer superannuation schemes for the civil service and to supervise and co-ordinate public sector superannuation and related schemes


-To advise the Minister/Government on the personnel implications of all proposals put forward by other Departments


-To carry out from time to time comprehensive and fundamental examinations of the public service


- To undertake, encourage and sponsor administrative research.


In addition, through the Central Data Processing Services, the Department of the Public Service provides a central computer service for Departments and Agencies and controls expenditure on computer equipment and staffing.


DAIL DEBATES

1575

Questions-

8 November 1983.

Written Answers

1576

Civil Servants Numbers.


265. Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for the Public Service the number of civil servants employed in each Government Department; and the number employed in the personnel function within each Department.


Minister for the Public Service (Mr. Boland): The information, which has been supplied to me by Departments, is as follows:


 

Total number of non-

Number employed in

Department/Office

industrial civil servants

personnel function

 

employed

 

President’s Establishment

10

1

Houses of the Oireachtas

185

8

Taoiseach

160

6

Central Statistics

548

13

Finance

446

10

Comptroller + Auditor General

92

3

Revenue Commissioners

6,956

108

Office of Public Works

1,033

30

State Laboratory

63

1

Attorney General + Chief State Solicitor

119

2

Director of Public Prosecutions

16

1

Stationery Office

165

4

Valuation and Ordnance Survey

560

10

Public Service

424

8*

Civil Service Commission

187

8

Justice (including Prisons, Courts etc.)

3,968

62

Environment

1,003

57

Education (incl. National Gallery)

1,184

29

Fisheries and Forestry

1,234

39

Gaeltacht

67

2

Agriculture

4,709

70

Labour

834

25

Trade, Commerce and Tourism

664

23

Transport

1,179

19

Posts and Telegraphs

27,970

327

Defence

606

39

Foreign Affairs

624

27

Social Welfare

3,269

68

Health

347

40

Industry and Energy

319

10

Total

58,941

1,050

Notes:


1. Departments in supplying the above information were asked to include staff engaged in personnel, organisation, industrial relations and training work. In some Departments these persons are integrated with officers engaged on other personnel work and it was not feasible to try to segregate the various duties. The numbers shown do not include those providing common services such as typing, messenger services and registry which come under the management of personnel sections.


2. The figures include persons employed in the formulation of personnel policy for bodies coming under the aegis of a Department/Office such as health boards, local authorities, An Garda Siochána. State-sponsored bodies and education sector employees.


* This figure refers only to those involved in the personnel function for the Department’s own staff.In addition, the Department of the Public Service have central responsibility for a wide range of personnel management functions in relation to the entire public sector (some 300,000 people). All the Department’s staff except the 206 in the Central Data Processing Service are engaged in this work.