LARGE NUMBERS of those who retired from the public service are being taken back by Government departments, according to replies given by Ministers in response to questions from a Fianna Fáil TD.
The chief medical officer in the Department of Social Protection, who retired earlier in the year, has been rehired on a salary of up to €102,152, according to Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton, in answer to the questions by TD Billy Kelleher.
Ms Burton said the chief medical officer had been re-employed due to his specific skills and experience and because of the difficulty and long lead-in time involved in finding a successor. She has also appointed two retired gardaí to the Pensions Board at rates of up to €80,678.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore has rehired seven former senior officials on contracts ranging in length up to three years.
Frank Cogan, a former assistant secretary, heads a taskforce for Ireland’s chairmanship of the OSCE, at a rate of €70,835 this year.
Former deputy secretary Pádraig Murphy has been brought back to service as the Minister’s special representative in relation to the OSCE chairmanship, for a fee of €62,450.
Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton has appointed four former senior officials, including a former secretary general at the Department of Transport, to public service positions.
At the Department of Agriculture, 59 retired veterinary staff serve as temporary inspectors, although none of these retired last February. Hundreds of teachers who retired early this year have been rehired to see out the rest of the academic year in exam classes, but the exact figures are not available yet.
A total of almost 8,000 public servants retired in the first quarter of this year, considerably more than was estimated at the time would leave before pension changes were introduced in March.
Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin said reports had indicated that about 7,500 people would leave the public service. However, the latest estimates show that 7,897 retired in order to avoid cuts in their pensions.
This figure includes 2,245 in education and 2,196 healthcare workers.
