Brendan Howlin
Question:4. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Taoiseach if there has been a skills needs assessment in his Department; and if any direct hires have occurred in the past year. [39820/16]
View answerTuesday, 17 January 2017
Questions (4, 5)
Gerry Adams
Question:5. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach the number of staff assigned to each division in his Department; and the number of staff assigned to each section and unit of each division. [1910/17]
View answerOral answers (18 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together. The development of my Department's workforce plan for 2015 to 2017 incorporated a skills assessment. An assessment of skills also informs the individual learning and development plans of staff working in my Department as part of the performance management and development process. This process, which is closely aligned with my Department's business planning process, facilitates the identification of international skills required to meet the strategic objectives and changing business needs of the Department.
Nine members of staff have been recruited directly to my Department during the past year. All other recruitment has been organised through the Public Appointments Service.
My Department has prepared a table detailing the assignment of staff to divisions and units, which I will circulate with the reply.
The remainder of staff in my Department are assigned to private offices and Government information services.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
My Department has prepared a table detailing the assignment of staff to divisions and units.
|
Division |
Units/Sections |
Number |
|
International, EU and Northern Ireland Division Total Staff : 29 (including 1 Second Secretary and 2 Assistant Secretaries |
International |
7 |
|
European Union |
8 |
|
|
Britain and Northern Ireland |
11 |
|
|
Economic Division Total Staff: 18 (including 1 Assistant Secretary) |
Economic Policy |
11 |
|
Economic Infrastructure, Regulation and Climate Change |
6 |
|
|
Social Policy and Public Service Reform Division Total Staff: 18 (including 1 Assistant Secretary) |
Social Policy |
4 |
|
Public Service Reform and Programme for Government |
7 |
|
|
Parliamentary Liaison Unit |
3 |
|
|
Internal Audit |
3 |
|
|
Protocol and General Total Staff: 20 (including 1 Assistant Secretary) |
Protocol |
10 |
|
Government Secretariat |
7 |
|
|
Speech-writing |
2 |
|
|
Corporate Affairs Division Total Staff: 51 (including 1 Principal Officer) |
Finance |
6 |
|
ICT |
9 |
|
|
Human Resources |
8 |
|
|
Management Services |
22 |
|
|
Information Management |
5 |
|
|
Data Protection |
2 |
|
|
Justice Reform |
1 |
I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. Earlier in the discussions on Brexit, one of the most important issues we as a Parliament and as a people will face, we spoke about the skill set required in our public administration to deal with it. In particular, we spoke about the skill set within the Taoiseach's Department.
On the negotiations that will start once Article 50 is triggered, has the Taoiseach undertaken an analysis of the skill set required to support him and his Department relating specifically to Brexit? Does he have the economic evaluation capacity within his Department? Who specifically is involved? Has the Taoiseach appointed a new economic adviser to replace the economic adviser who left during the course of last year? In terms of one of the most important aspects from Ireland's perspective, international trade negotiation, does the Taoiseach's Department have the skill set to input within the negotiations by the EU 27 a capacity to understand and people who have been involved in international trade negotiations? Specifically, who are those people who will give him that direct support?
In terms of the nine direct hires he has made - I understand that the Taoiseach will circulate a list relating to those to us - will they assist specifically in the Brexit process? Will the Taoiseach provide the House with a flavour of the specific roles those nine direct hires were recruited to fulfil?
In the same line, the crux of my question is about Brexit and whether the Taoiseach anticipates allocating additional staff to deal with the range of issues which arise as a consequence of the British decision to leave the EU. Will those staff have the range of skills and the experience needed? I have never considered a soft Brexit possible and the British Prime Minister signalled clearly today what her Government intends to do. She went on to state that the electorate voted with their eyes open to leave the European Union. On this island, the voters in the North voted to remain. This is not just a matter of the Taoiseach's Department and officials being able to deal with the British Government in terms of the affairs of this State; it concerns the entire island. Incidentally, in what was a fairly long speech the British Prime Minister gave the North 21 words, which shows how much consideration she gives the matter.
I will repeat my question. In terms of the complexity of all the issues arising, the need to engage fully with our European partners and in terms of outreach - I welcome the ongoing national conversation and that there will be sectoral conversations in the North - does the Taoiseach anticipate bringing in additional people with the necessary skills and experience to deal with these complex issues?
First, in respect of staff who attend at committees, they seem to turn up in serious numbers.
I take on the responsibility for a whole-of-Government response to Brexit which means that, as required, Ministers and specialists attend at the Cabinet Committee on Brexit. They are all involved. This concerns Ministers as well as their Departments and agencies and, as Deputy Howlin is well aware, a consistent and comprehensive response is required at all times.
I restructured the Department to ensure that Brexit is treated as a particular, special and crucial cross-cutting issue. This included creating a newly amalgamated international, EU and Northern Ireland division under a new second Secretary General. The work of the division includes supporting the Cabinet Committee on Brexit and the Cabinet Committee on European Affairs. It is also supported by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade who now has a greater role in EU matters overall, with a newly created EU division and the existing division dealing with Anglo-Irish affairs both having important roles to play.
My Department has also availed of a range of specialist expertise and knowledge required to respond to the challenges associated with Brexit through the secondment of senior civil servants and personnel from semi-State bodies and the private sector to strengthen the Department's capacity in this particular area. If it is necessary to enhance that, that will happen.
At the moment, I am satisfied that we have the range of expertise required. It is always possible to take into account advice or views from other quarters. When the Prime Minister, Theresa May, triggers Article 50, these negotiations will formally start. No doubt there will be a response to her contribution today from various locations around the world. I expect that Mr. Barnier, who is heading up the Commission's negotiating team, will respond to the Prime Minister's comments, but the formal negotiations will not start until she triggers Article 50.
In respect of economic policy and European policy, I am satisfied that between officials, experts, special advisers and so on we have the range of skills and expertise necessary to deal with economic, financial, European and social policies as well as public sector reform.
The same applies in the case of international relations. In terms of academic qualifications, a number of the relevant team have undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in areas that are of direct relevance to their work in the international section.
It would be helpful if the Taoiseach told us who specifically-----
These include degrees in international development and in food policy, a PhD in political science, a Master's of Economic Science in policy analysis-----
Who specifically is leading up each of the sections?
Gabh mo leithscéal.
Who is dealing with the trade aspect? Who has the Taoiseach recruited? Who has he seconded in from the private sector?
I can give the Deputy the individual names if he wishes to have them.
That would be helpful.
This comes under a second Secretary General who has responsibility overall for Brexit and that feeds out into all-----
This comes back to the weekly bulletin that the Taoiseach promised.
There is reference to undergraduate degrees in economics and in history and politics as well as modules in international relations. There is a whole range of expertise available. In fact, as the issues arise, as I stated, if particular specialist expertise and information is required, we will recruit people with it.
We need to have them.
Between all of the agencies, Departments, Ministers and experts of one sort or another, we have that range and we are better prepared than the vast majority of other countries because we have been working on this for quite some time.
We are more impacted than any of them.
I will circulate that detail with the reply.