712. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the precise arrangements in place in his Department to comply with the requirements of section 25 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 , in respect of the grades of principal officer and assistant principal, excluding those hours recorded on a flexi time system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43496/26]

The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 provides the statutory framework governing working hours, rest periods and related matters for employees. Section 25 of the Act places an obligation on employers to maintain records demonstrating compliance with its provisions.

Assistant Principal and Principal Officer grades are senior managers within the civil service and, as such, have a significant degree of autonomy in managing their working time in order to fulfil the responsibilities of their roles. While hours of attendance are fixed from time to time, they amount to not less than 41 hours and 15 minutes gross per week. Staff at these grades may be required to work such additional hours from time to time as may be reasonable and necessary for the proper performance of their duties subject to the limits set down in the working time regulations. The rate of remuneration payable covers any extra attendance liability that may arise.

In respect of compliance with section 25, the Department has appropriate arrangements in place to ensure compliance with its obligations under the Act. These include management oversight and internal controls to identify instances where working time may exceed expected levels. Any such instances are addressed, as appropriate, through routine engagement between managers and staff as part of standard performance management and wellbeing processes.