My Department has sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to provide up to 46 paid internships annually at headquarters and in Missions abroad. These are awarded to suitable candidates who have undertaken relevant third-level studies or who have other relevant skills or experience. Interns are recruited following a competitive process and are remunerated on the basis of the Executive Officer salary scale. Up to twenty-five of the temporary recruits are assigned for periods of approximately 18-21 months as Junior Professional Interns in the Department’s Development Cooperation Division and a small number of Missions. That Division, which is partly headquartered in Limerick City, also hosts two University of Limerick students twice-yearly under an internship programme operated by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The remaining nineteen posts are allocated to other Units of the Department dealing with other areas of foreign policy including human rights, disarmament, conflict resolution and international legal affairs and to a small number of multilateral Missions. In these cases the internships are normally for periods of up-to 11 months. The Department also facilitates an annual 7-week placement for a University of Notre Dame student, with all costs in that case borne by the University. Some unpaid short-duration placements also occasionally arise at Missions abroad, as do paid short-term local staff positions.
Separately, the Department was given approval in 2012 to recruit a small number of Interns for the period leading up to and for the duration of the Irish Presidency of the European Union in the first half of this year. As part of a management review of policy in this area, I have asked my Department to make renewed efforts to engage with the JobBridge scheme with a view to making a number of placements during the remainder of 2013 and early next year. Despite our efforts to avail of this scheme, including the advertising of some vacancies, no placements have been made to-date.
As much as possible of the information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table. However, in the time available, it was not possible to compile and include details of all unpaid internships or similar placements at Missions abroad.
2011
|
No of Interns
|
Section / Mission
|
Paid / Unpaid
|
Duration of contract
|
|
2
|
Legal Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
2
|
Human Rights Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Conflict Resolution Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Disarmament & Non- Proliferation Section
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Political
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
4
|
DCD, Limerick
|
Paid
|
6 months
|
|
21
|
DCD
|
Paid
|
18 months
|
|
1
|
Embassy The Hague
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Geneva
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Permanent Representation of Ireland to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Press
(Notre Dame Intern)
|
Unpaid
|
7 weeks
|
|
1
|
Legal Unit / Press
(University of Cork student)
|
Unpaid
|
3 months
|
2012
|
No of Interns
|
Section/Mission
|
Paid/Unpaid
|
Duration of Contract
|
|
2
|
Legal Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
3
|
Human Rights Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Conflict Resolution Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
2
|
Disarmament & Non- Proliferation Section
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Political
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Middle East Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
2
|
Europe Division
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Presidency Planning Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Security Policy, Political Division
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Political Secretariat
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Asia Pacific Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
4
|
DCD, Limerick
|
Paid
|
6 months
|
|
23
|
DCD
|
Paid
|
18 months
|
|
1
|
Embassy The Hague
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Geneva
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Permanent Representation of Ireland to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
8
|
Permanent Representation to the EU, Brussels
|
Paid
|
For periods ranging from 7 – 12 months
|
|
1
|
DCD, Dublin
(Notre Dame Intern)
|
Unpaid
|
7 weeks
|
|
1
|
Anglo Irish
(Notre Dame Intern)
|
Unpaid
|
7 weeks
|
|
1
|
Minister of State Costello’s office
(Crosscare Intern)
|
Unpaid
|
4 months (2 days a week)
|
2013
|
No of Interns
|
Section/Mission
|
Paid/Unpaid
|
Duration of Contract
|
|
2
|
Legal Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
3
|
Human Rights Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Conflict Resolution Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
2
|
Disarmament & Non- Proliferation Section
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Middle East Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
2
|
Europe Division
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Presidency Planning Unit / Political Division
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Security Policy, Political Division
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Political Secretariat
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Asia Pacific Unit
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
4
|
DCD, Limerick
|
Paid
|
6 months
|
|
23
|
DCD
|
Paid
|
18 months
|
|
1
|
Embassy The Hague
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
2
|
Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Geneva
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
4
|
Permanent Mission to the United Nations, New York
|
Paid
|
For periods ranging from 4 – 6 months
|
|
1
|
Permanent Representation of Ireland to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg
|
Paid
|
11 months
|
|
1
|
Anglo Irish
(Notre Dame Intern)
|
Unpaid
|
7 weeks
|
|
1
|
Press
(Notre Dame Intern)
|
Unpaid
|
7 weeks
|
