asked the Minister for Public Service if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on new recruitment to the Civil Service.

Because of the need to contain public service numbers, the number of vacancies to be filled in the Civil Service in 1984 would normally be small. I would expect that the schemes which I recently announced, for job sharing and career breaks for serving civil servants, will increase the number of vacancies by an amount which cannot as yet be foreseen.

However, the position at present is that there are more than sufficient qualified candidates available from competitions held in 1983 to fill vacancies in 1984 for clerical assistants on clerical and shorthand typing duties and for adult executive officers. In view of the stress laid by the Dáil Committee on Public Expenditure — in their recent interim report on recruitment by the Civil Service Commission — on the importance of avoiding unnecessary examinations and achieving maximum cost-effectiveness, the holding of these competitions in 1984 could not be justified. Accordingly, I announced on 6 April that the Government had decided not to hold them this year.

There will, of course, be several other Civil Service competitions, including those for executive officer (school-leaver), clerical officer and clerical assistant (typing). Further competitions will be held also, as the need arises.

Perhaps I will have better luck on this question in regard to the embargo. Will the Minister tell the House if the public service is getting larger or smaller? Will the Minister give us the figures, if he has them?

I do not have the figures but my information is that it is getting smaller.

My information is that it is getting bigger but we will have to have this duel on another occasion. Is the Minister putting it on record that it is the Government's view that the public service is getting smaller?

My information is that it is.

That information comes from the Minister and the Government?

I do not have that information in front of me but I am giving it to the Deputy as a Minister of the Government.

Will the Minister explain how, with all the restrictions on recruitment, early retirement and so on, a person aged 68 years can be employed still in the Civil Service? Is the Minister aware of that?

That seems to be a totally different question.

The person concerned can still be employed in spite of the restrictions and all the talk about early retirement. How is it that that happens?

The question before the House deals with new recruitments.