SAVINGS OF just under €55 million have been generated in the Civil Service and the non-commercial State agency sector under the Croke Park agreement, it has emerged.
The first review of the agreement, to be published next week, is expected to state that from the end of March 2010 to the end of March 2011 the numbers employed in the Civil Service and in non-commercial State agencies fell by 939.
These figures include staff in the prison service and staff of the Oireachtas Commission.
The reduction in numbers on the payroll from just over 49,100 to 48,127, in addition to cuts of around 7 per cent in overtime payments, has produced savings in the pay bill for Civil Service and State agencies of €54.2 million.
Overall, the review of the Croke Park agreement, which is to be brought to Cabinet next week by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin, is expected to say that pay cost savings of €289 million have been generated across the wider public service.
This includes areas such as local authorities, where the Minister for Environment Phil Hogan has said around €80 million has been saved on pay costs, and in the health service.
The review was carried out by the national body charged with overseeing the implementation of the agreement. This is comprised of union and public service management representatives along with an independent chairman.
In addition to savings as a result of cuts in numbers and overtime, the new report will also deal with savings generated as a result of the introduction of greater efficiencies. However, some of the savings reported refer to the whole of 2010 as against 2009.
It is understood the State training agency Fás has reported savings of more than €33 million as a result of more streamlined administrative systems.
The Department of Agriculture and Food is understood to have secured savings of over €4.7 million in various administrative savings, while the Central Statistics Office is understood to have projected a once-off saving of €4.7 million for this year relating to the Census 2011 and €1.5 million in overheads and output reduction.