any thoughts on where the staff for the new Personal Insolvency Agency will come from

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on where the staff for the new Personal Insolvency Agency will come from? One would hope from redeployment form the civil/public service. I'm guessing it could be a huge quango in terms of staff numbers, initially at least.

Indeed, it will be early next year i would imagine before the Agency is up and running. I'm also guessing the Agency will be relying a great deal on the personal insolveny trustees, so perhaps the Agency will have more of an admin role than anything. Redeployment from the civil/public service makes sense then.

I understand your query relates particularly to the Personal Insolvency Agency but I thought I'd share what I've learned about another new government agency and see what you think. A colleague of mine (we worked in a govt agency) recently volunteered for redeploment into a new agency and he started working there a few weeks ago. I ran into him the other day and he told me the following:
Out of a large group (abut 40 or 50 people) staffing the new agency, only about 1/3 have been redeployed (either voluntarily or LIFO) from other government agencies or departments. The remainder are from recruitment agencies. Even in my own agency there are staff on this level that could have been LIFOd in there and haven't been, so why would the government be paying for agency staff? Has anyone heard of this happening elsewhere. Is it a short-term measure until redeployments are sorted out? As a tax payer, this state of affairs really worries (and annoys) me.

Sounds strange - why don't you name the agency? Given that this is a public body, all this information is public domain.

I didn't name it as the account I've given is anicdotal - based on an 'on the street conversation' with an ex-colleague. I think that's fair enought. I wouldn't doubt this person though....

Elginelf said:

I didn't name it as the account I've given is anicdotal - based on an 'on the street conversation' with an ex-colleague. I think that's fair enought. I wouldn't doubt this person though....

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Just seems strange to me that you don't doubt the person, but you won't name the agency - bit of a paradox there. As a public servant, I get a bit tired of vague, unsubstantiated slurs against the public sector.

There are indeed may problems in the public sector. If there are problems, let's shine a big light on them and get them sorted. The first step to sorting the problem is naming the problem. The worst thing that could happen from naming the agency is that someone else will either confirm that the allegation is right, or will confirm that the allegation is wrong.

Honestly, if people aren't prepared to be specific, they should keep their vague allegations to themselves.

I am a public servant. A hard-working public servant, tired, as you are, of slurs against the sector. I fully intend to find out what is happening with regard to recruitment in this agency and I will be making enquiries. If, at that stage, there is anything to be gained by posting the full details of the case on AAM, I will. As I said, as a tax payer, I would be very worried and annoyed if staff were being recruited instead of fully exhausting redeployment options. My point in posting today was to establish if it is common practice currently to fill posts with contract staff either in the long term or while redeployment is being sorted out.

Hi Elginelf,

The centeral bank are 'suppossedly' working closely with reputable debt management companies, hence these companies will be the agency so to speak. Maybe I am being spun a yarn but this is what I have been told by a DM company I am currently conducting business with

Wishes said:

Hi Elginelf,

The centeral bank are 'suppossedly' working closely with reputable debt management companies, hence these companies will be the agency so to speak. Maybe I am being spun a yarn but this is what I have been told by a DM company I am currently conducting business with

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I don't see any tender on [broken link removed] for debt management services for the Central Bank. It would be illegal for them to have a substantial contract for DM services that hadn't been advertised for public tender.

Elginelf said:

I am a public servant. A hard-working public servant, tired, as you are, of slurs against the sector. I fully intend to find out what is happening with regard to recruitment in this agency and I will be making enquiries. If, at that stage, there is anything to be gained by posting the full details of the case on AAM, I will. As I said, as a tax payer, I would be very worried and annoyed if staff were being recruited instead of fully exhausting redeployment options. My point in posting today was to establish if it is common practice currently to fill posts with contract staff either in the long term or while redeployment is being sorted out.

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Good to hear you're going digging. In fairness, given that the allegation is here on AAM, I'd suggest that you report details of what you find here either way.

Complainer said:

I don't see any tender on [broken link removed] for debt management services for the Central Bank. It would be illegal for them to have a substantial contract for DM services that hadn't been advertised for public tender.

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Hi Complainer,

From what I've been told the tender situation does not apply here. DM company is currently governed by lisence. I stand to be corrected, as I say, I could have been sold a sales pitch by the DM company.

Wishes said:

Hi Complainer,

From what I've been told the tender situation does not apply here. DM company is currently governed by lisence. I stand to be corrected, as I say, I could have been sold a sales pitch by the DM company.

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What do you mean when you say 'working with' the Central Bank. Do you mean that the CB are paying the DM company to provide a service, or that the CB have licensed the DB company to provide a service?

If they are agency staff, then the CB is paying the agency. If the CB is paying the agency more than €57k, then this contract would need to have been tendered.

Maybe they'll hire more of the experts who retired recently. Of whom Enda Kenny, the new broom, and only the head of the country, knows nothing about.