Departmental Staff Redeployment

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2012

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

Questions (177)

Gerry Adams

Question:

177. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide details of the type and frequency of North South engagement his Department undertakes; the current priorities in this area; the number of whole time equivalent staff assigned to these matters; the grades involved and the amount of time each grade spends on North South Activities as a proportion of their WTE employment; the co-ordination arrangements that have been put in place; if there are any current vacancies in North South Co-operation unites; the duration of this vacancy and the steps being taken to fill the vacancy. [48546/12]

Written answers

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

I am and my officials are directly involved in ongoing and frequent North South engagement up to and including the highest levels. This involves having extensive contact with the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly, political parties, civil society and all sides of the community. This work is undertaken in the context of actively pursuing our priorities for advancing cooperation through the structures of the North South Ministerial Council, most recently at the plenary meeting of the Council which took place last Friday 2 November in Armagh. The engagement involves many officials in the Department in addition to the current team of four officers, two at first secretary/assistant principal level, one administrative officer and one clerical officer) within the Department's Anglo-Irish Division who deal primarily with matters relating to North South economic co-operation, and the nine officers (one at counsellor/principal officer level, and others at first secretary/assistant principal, higher executive officer and clerical officer levels, who are working as part of the Joint Secretariat of the North South Ministerial Council in Armagh.