I wish to advise the Deputy that there are currently six employees of the Department of Finance seconded to other organisations who continue to be paid by my Department.
These employees are seconded as follows:
- Department of Foreign Affairs
- London Embassy
- Assistant Secretary x 1
- Finance Attaché (Assistant Principal - AP) x 1
- Berlin Embassy
- Finance Attaché (AP) x 1
- EU Commission
- Seconded National Expert (AP) x 2
- OECD
- Economic & Finance Attaché (AP) x 1
These employees have remained on the payroll of the Department as the roles they occupy remain directly in the purview and strategic interest of the Department of Finance. Their secondment enables them to work closely within these organisations and also allows for administrative ease (i.e. access to email/internet networks etc).
Furthermore, the salaries of the 2 Seconded National Experts are recouped from the Department of Foreign Affairs under the Central Funding Scheme, which supports the placement of Irish staff in international organisations.
The salaries for these positions follow the salary scale of the relevant grade, details of which can be found in the recent Circular 04/2022 from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding pay scales, available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/circular/ef515-application-of-1st-february-2022-pay-adjustments/
In line with the guidelines set out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's Secondment Policy for the Civil Service, each position is for a specified period only, upon the end of which the employee will return to the Department of Finance.