No saving for taxpayer in Kenny cuts

TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny claimed staff reductions in his department would save €2 million but later admitted it would not save the taxpayer €2 million as the staff were moving to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

During question time in the Dáil Mr Kenny said approximately 25 staff dealing with public service reform in the Department of the Taoiseach would transfer to the new department headed by Brendan Howlin. Estimates for 2011 for Mr Kenny’s department were €24.816 million, but he expected the transfer “will give rise to a whole year’s reduction in my department’s estimate of approximately €2 million”.

However Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said transferring staff to another department “does not in itself offer a saving to the taxpayer”. Mr Kenny said “that is true” but creating the new department “already signifies the decision by Government to have a serious and comprehensive analysis of how public monies are spent”. He said the people being transferred “will see to it that there is a proper analysis of how public monies are being spent”.

Mr Kenny also defended the decision to fill the positions of secretary general to the Government and the new post of secretary general to the Department of Public Expenditure internally, despite a commitment to open senior appointments to the public.

Mr Kenny told Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin the roles did not come within the ambit of the Top Level Appointments Committee, echoing comments on Monday by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore. Mr Martin understood this but was “not asking about established practice because the Taoiseach promised to break from established practice in filling positions of this kind”.

The Taoiseach said they were “sensitive positions” and “fundamentally important”.