My Department employs over 4,500 people. There are 12 people on the payroll in my Department who are currently deployed outside of the Department. The following is a breakdown of the numbers and details involved. One assistant principal and four assistant principals, acting, are completing a two year masters programme in public policy analysis; one assistant principal is on secondment to the Public Service Friendly Society; one assistant principal is on secondment as national expert to the EU Commission; three administrative officers are on secondment to the Department of Finance for one year as part of the Civil Service AO development programme; one executive officer is on secondment to the communications unit in the Department of the Taoiseach; one staff officer is on secondment to the Civil and Public Service Union as a partnership official.
In addition, a number of staff on secondment to other Departments and agencies, whose salaries are recouped to my Department, are paid in the first instance from the Department's payroll for reasons of administrative efficiency.