Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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1737. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of civil servants in her Department, and in agencies under the aegis of her Department, who were on career break in 2023 or 2024, by month and grade, and by length of career break; the number of civil servants in her Department and in agencies under the aegis of her Department who were on career break for longer than five years or longer than six years in 2023 or 2024, by month, grade, and length of career break, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46197/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department has seven staff members who took a career break which included all or part of 2023 or 2024. The table below shows the grades, and the dates and duration of these career breaks.

No staff in my department have been on a career break lasting longer than five years. While the granting of career breaks is an operational matter for agencies under our aegis, I can confirm that they do not have any staff on career break as outlined.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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1738. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of vacancies, by month and by grade, in her Department, and in agencies under the aegis of her Department, in 2023 and 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46215/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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DRCD and it's agencies do not tend to carry many vacancies at any one time. This is as a result of the priority placed in the timely backfilling and recruitment of new posts as required. The Department's approach to recruitment follows best practice and guidance from the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA).

The number of vacancies, by month and by grade for 2023 and 2024 are shown in the tables below. These include the four agencies under the aegis of my Department - the Charities Regulatory Authority, Pobal, Water Safety Ireland and the Western Development Commission

2023

2024

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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1739. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide an assurance that no civil servant has had their career break extended beyond five years where there is a suitable vacancy in their home Department or agency; to provide an assurance that, where a civil servant has had their career break extended beyond five years on account of there being no suitable vacancy in their home Department or agency, that they have been placed on a redeployment panel; to provide an assurance that, where a civil servant has had their career break extended beyond six years, that consideration has been given to facilitating them on a supernumerary basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46233/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department currently has six staff members on career breaks. However, no staff in my department have been on a career break lasting 5 years or longer, therefore no requests for extensions have been received.

In line with Civil Service Circular 04/2013, all staff nearing the end of a career break are required to give two months' notice of their intention to return to work. This gives my Department suitable notice to find an appropriate vacancy at the same grade for them to return to. Due to the low number of staff on career break, and the relatively short duration of the breaks, I do not envisage the use of redeployment panels in this context.