A NUMBER of State agencies are facing difficulties in meeting official targets to reduce their staffing levels, the Department of Finance has told the national body charged with implementing the Croke Park agreement.
However, it says that Government departments are on track to meet the new limits on employment levels in the Civil Service.
In a draft document drawn up for submission to the implementation body for the first official review of the Croke Park agreement, the Department of Finance says that at the end of March the number employed in the Civil Service stood at 36,285 – just 85 above the target for the end of the year.
However, in the State agency sector employment levels at the end of the first quarter stood at 11,875. The official target for the end of the year is 11,000.
“The targets are challenging and in individual cases, for example, Teagasc and Bord Iascaigh Mhara, agencies are reporting that they will have difficulties in attaining the targets set out in their respective employment control frameworks,” the draft submission states.
The draft Department of Finance document on the implementation of the Croke Park agreement in the Civil Service and in the State agency sector does not set out the level of cash savings generated. Last week, the Health Service Executive (HSE) said savings of about €100 million had been made in the health service.
The only Government department to set out the level of savings that it and its associated agencies have generated is the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
It has produced payroll savings of about €2 million as well as efficiencies relating to information communications technology of approximately €350,000.
The document says that, in most cases, Government departments are reporting progress on reform in line with the timeframes they set out in their original action plans. However, it warns that some departments are facing problems. “These, in general, relate to external issues, eg the need for legislation, rather than any industrial relations difficulties – there has been none in the Civil Service in the reporting period.”
The document says that while the commitment is to review how work is organised and to put new grading structures in operation, in some areas progress is not as advanced as in others.
“Progress has been made in some departments with the Department of Health stating that the introduction of cross-stream promotion has led to significant increased capacity at senior management level.
“In OPW, matters are proceeding at local level. In the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, arrangements have commenced in two areas and, in the Department of Education and Skills, the use of multidisciplinary team working and cross-stream reporting is ongoing. However, progress is slower in other departments with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food reporting that the proposal document is currently being drafted and the Department Communications, Energy and Natural Resources stating that anticipated cross-agency co-operation will commence shortly.”
The document on the State agency sector says that the commitment to introduce a new performance management scheme in Fás is still “for discussion with staff representatives”.
It says the commitment to establish a centre of excellence between the National Roads Authority and the Rail Procurement Agency in procurement, engineering and planning to deliver services to others “has been delayed as finalisation of the necessary legislation was postponed pending the submission of the merger proposal to the incoming Government”.
In the Civil Service, the document says 500 staff have transferred to the Department of Social Protection and the Central Statistics Office. It says 1,128 staff of the Community Welfare Service have been seconded from the HSE to the Civil Service while some Fás staff have moved to the Department of Social Protection.
It says that in the Court Service 17 venues have closed and one more is to shut this month. It says that the Office of Public Works surrendered in excess of 27,000sq m of office space in 2010 and that the sale of property assets realised more than €5 million.
