IN A sign of the technological times, the State diary – traditionally provided to Government workers – is going out of production with demand falling due to rising use of electronic calendars.
Minister of State at the Department of Finance Minister Brian Hayes said he was halting production of the distinctive leather-bound pocket and desk diaries, which feature a gold harp, in a move that he estimated would save about €70,000 a year.
“I have decided to cease the production of the diaries primarily as a cost-cutting measure, but in making this decision I have also taken into consideration the fall in demand for such diaries in recent years due to the extensive use of electronic calendars
“The savings of €70,000 represent a considerable saving in these difficult times,” he said.
Demand for State diaries has been declining in the last number of years, with a 20 per cent drop in demand in 2011 on the previous year. A number of cash-strapped Government departments have already stopped buying the diaries on behalf of their staff, many of whom are comfortable operating diaries connected with the software they use every day.
When demand was at its peak, up to 40,000 pocket diaries were provided to personnel in Government departments, agencies and associated offices, although the A5-sized desk diary, with its ribbon bookmark, was usually given to middle and senior management.
The public could buy the diaries from the Government Publications sales office in Molesworth Street, Dublin.
Figures for 2008 show 25,000 pocket diaries and 11,000 desk diaries were distributed throughout the Civil Service at a VAT-exclusive cost to the State of €41,090.
That year, the month of May was inadvertently left out of the calendar summary page at the front of the pocket diary, leading Fine Gael TD James Bannon to describe it as a “substandard” publication.
The Government subsequently introduced “quality assurance measures” to ensure such an error did not happen again.
The Office of Public Works for which Mr Hayes has responsibility, has been producing the diaries for more than 20 years. The estimated €70,000 savings figure takes into account staff and production costs.
