Paisley to cut OFMDFM staff levels..?
AFTER recent UUP criticism of the size of OFMDFM, the First Minister yesterday hinted he might get rid of some of the staff. Slugger pointed out a couple of weeks ago that it was under the UUP that the office got so bloated, and yesterday Paisley provided the latest figures on OFMDFM staffing levels. I wasn’t far out – and was right that under the previous administration the figure was actually higher, which scuppers the UUP criticism somewhat, as Paisley noted: The Member wants a solution to a problem for which his party was responsible. That party brought in all the extra workers. Perhaps some could be redeployed to the under-pressure Planning Service?Paisley said:
On 1 December 2000, the Department had 283 staff. Figures published in September two years later showed that that figure had risen to 417 just after devolution was suspended. Under Mr Trimble, the figure had almost doubled. Current staffing levels are broadly similar to those of the previous devolved Administration. As of 1 September 2007 there were 408 staff working in the Department, therefore fewer.
Hmmm. There’s a world of difference between “workers” and “staff”.
I think in this instance they are being used interchangeably, if you look at the figures below the fold.
Gonzo,
I meant that a staffer mans a post but a worker actually works :0)
Typical pathetic atacks from the UUP, that culminate with them having egg on their face.
Almost as good as attacking the DUP for deselecting women..ehm lads?look around your own bench!!
The best of all though was Jim Rodgers on the X Factor on saturday night welcoming the judges to Belfast, Simon, Sharon and Louise!!!!
Bigger Picture,
The UUP do not have any vision, they just attack for the sake of it and it always always boomerangs.
Mind you the DUP are also been making PR mistakes recently i.e photos of Paisley laughing with McGuinness.
All bureaucracies tend to grow. Close attention has to be paid by higher ups to prevent that. Paisley is on the right track. Good luck to him.
joeCanuck,
Hear, hear. Good to see the good ol’ Presbyterian parsimony come in useful for a change.
Joe Canuck
spot on. simple 0-level economics
producers maximise profits
consumers maximise utility
politicians maximise votes
bureacrats maximise budgets
who advises the politicians? … uh senior civil servants?
Whilst reducing the number of persons employed by the assmebly may be desireable surely the greatest excess is in the number of politicians at Stormont. We have 108 for 1.7 million population. Wales has 60 for 2.9 million, Scotland has 108 for 5 million.
Turgon
Paisley made the very same point
“The First Minister then reminded members their own jobs could be under scrutiny when the long-promised review of whether Northern Ireland needs 108 Assembly members is completed.
“We must have a look at our own House first and see how we can save money in this House first,”
Paisley completely lacks the ability to act arbitrarily despite the retoric
Turgon,
I’ve long wondered why it always seems to take four peeps to do the job of one in NI. The brain drain?
Why does he not get rid off a major waste of money – Ian Paisley Jr?
Sam Hanna,
Wot, you’re advocating filicide? For shame!
I’m not so sure Dawkins – Ian Jnr has a long record of opposing increases in bureaucracy; e.g., in the Assembly debate on the appointment of junior ministers to the First & Deputy First Minister (December 14th, 1999) he said:
“In the past, three Ministers serviced six Departments. Now we have 10 Departments and 10 Ministers, and we are to have two junior Ministers. That is an increase in bureaucracy, not an increase in democracy, and that is sad. Who is to pay for these junior Ministers? The answer is that the money will come from the public purse. … The amount that will be taken from the public purse to service the new appointments will be a public scandal.†(http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/record/reports/991214d.htm)
Do the DUP do consistency?
“producers maximise profits
consumers maximise utility
politicians maximise votes
bureacrats maximise budgets”
wild turkey
very very true