THE DEPARTMENT of Finance is proposing a major redeployment of staff within Civil Service departments and, if necessary, between non-commercial State-sponsored bodies and the Civil Service, a confidential draft document reveals.
The document, seen by The Irish Times, says the Minister for Finance reserves the right to redeploy personnel in the 30,000-strong Civil Service, as may be required and appropriate, between departments where services are being reallocated.
It says this would be to meet priority needs or to address requirements arising from rationalisation, reconfiguration or restructuring.
Under the proposals, civil servants may be selected for compulsory redeployment on the basis of last-in,first-out if there are insufficient volunteers to move from one department to another.
Public service management has indicated in recent talks with trade unions that it considers provision for redeployment of staff essential to facilitate the departure of personnel under new early retirement and career break schemes, while maintaining services.
The department has forecast that up to 3,500 staff could leave the wider public service under the early retirement scheme.
Redeployment of staff between non-commercial State-sponsored bodies and the Civil Service may be necessary if agencies are merged or abolished on foot of recommendations from “An Bord Snip Nua”.
The four-member committee, chaired by University College Dublin economist Colm McCarthy, is due to report to the department early next month after a review of public service numbers and expenditure.
The draft department circular, drawn up earlier this month, sets out proposals on how redeployment arrangements would work in practice on the ground.
The document says the department, having consulted with each Civil Service department, would determine appropriate numbers for each grade in the department.
“Posts in excess of that number will be liable to be redeployed”, it states.
The draft proposals also state that where surplus posts are identified in a department, “existing arrangements regarding the filling of posts, whether by agreed sequences for promotion, recruitment or by inter-departmental transfer arrangements, will no longer apply”, except as provided for in the new circular.
The draft document says that where an activity or programme is no longer being carried out, the associated posts involved would be deemed to be surplus and available for redeployment.
It says that surplus posts could also arise as a result of rationalisation, reconfiguration, reorganisation or restructuring of services or functions.
“Volunteers who are willing to redeploy will be sought from the relevant grades in the department. In addition, staff returning from career breaks in the relevant grades who cannot be accommodated in their parent department should be included.
“Where there are no or insufficient volunteers, staff to be made available for redeployment will be identified in accordance with ‘last -in-first-out’,” the draft circular states.
The document says departments will provide detailed information to the Public Appointments Service on the staff concerned, including grade and regional location, within one month of a surplus being identified.
It says that the Public Appointment Service will establish resource panels by region for each general service grade, as well as for professional and technical staff.
It says that staff on resource panels may be assigned to another Civil Service job at the appropriate grade in an alternative department within the region.
“In making offers of appointment, regard will be had to reasonable daily commute,” it states.
The document states that where the Government may decide that the functions of a non-commercial State-sponsored body are to be transferred to the Civil Service, the associated posts and staff concerned will also transfer, where necessary.
The draft circular says that “a person from a surplus identified in a non-commercial State-sponsored body in any region may be offered a vacancy in the Civil Service where no suitable person from within the Civil Service is available in that region and where qualifications and expertise can be matched with the requirements of the post to be filled”.