Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 10 Mar 1992

Vol. 417 No. 1

Written Answers. - Civil Service Staff Training.

Gay Mitchell

Ceist:

258 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline, in respect of his Department and of any Civil Service office under his aegis, (1) the number and grades of the full-time staff engaged in the staff training unit, (2) the nature, number and duration of the training courses given during 1991, (3) the grades catered for on these courses and the numbers in each grade who attended, (4) if he has any plans in relation to the development of the training unit, (5) the number of those who attended courses at the Civil Service Training Centre in each of the years 1989 to 1991 and (6) the number of staff who are paid a refund of, (a) full fees and (b) part fees in respect of attendance at educational courses leading to the award of degrees, certificates and other qualification; and if, in the case of (b) above he will further outline the percentage of the fee which is refunded and the way in which that percentage was determined.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Andrews)

The Department of Foreign Affairs is committed to an active programme of training and staff development for its officers, within existing financial and staffing constraints.

Responsibility for training and staff development is integrated within the personnel function. The personnel officer (a First Secretary) has specific responsibility for this area and is assisted by a full-time staff officer and, as the need arises, by other staff in the Personnel Unit. Consideration has been given to the re-establishment of a separate training unit. This has not been feasible within existing staffing resources but the possibility is kept under review.

Particular emphasis is placed on the provision of training courses during office hours, usually within the Department itself, where a designated and equipped training room is available. The following courses were organised in 1991 and will be repeated this year (precise attendance figures are not available in all cases): in-house language classes in French, German and Russian — usually one class per week in each of the languages; presentation skills courses for junior diplomatic officers. (The courses covered a period of six days and were attended on average by ten diplomatic officers); briefing sessions for officers prior to posting to missions abroad (involving contacts with other departments and relevant semi-state agencies); computer skills courses (in 1991, 53 officers attended 16 such courses lasting an average of two days each); and courses in telephone techniques and dealing with the public for junior grades.

Briefing sessions, lectures and workshops, usually organised once a week, are a regular feature of the Department's training programme and are designed to introduce officers, particularly junior diplomatic officers and others recently recruited to the Department, to all aspects of the work of the various divisions of the Department in Dublin and of our missions abroad. In addition, these lectures are intended to provide officers with general briefings on Irish foreign policy and the principal international issues currently facing Ireland. (Briefings have recently been given on the following: the Maastricht Treaty; the shape of Europe in the 1990s; the EC's decision-making process; the history of Irish foreign policy). Outside experts are invited to contribute to these lectures. Average attendance is between 25 and 30.

The Department liaises closely with the Civil Service Training Centre (CSTC) in assessing and meeting its training requirements. The CSTC organises in conjunction with the Department annual courses for Third Secretaries (the recruitment grade for the diplomatic service). The following are the numbers of officers who attended courses in the centre in the period 1989 to 1991:

Year	Number
1989-90	30
1990-91	25
1991-92	28

In addition, two officers attended week-long conferences organised by the CSTC for the grades of assistant secretary and counsellor.

Within current budgetary constraints, the Department endeavours to refund officers the maximum level of fees for training and educational courses undertaken privately. Broadly speaking, full 100 per cent refunds are made for language training and for other courses of direct relevance to the Department's activities (such as computer skills; courses in international affairs) and a minimum of 50 per cent for all other courses.

The following are the details of refunds in 1991 made to staff in respect of courses attended outside the Department:

Course	Number Officers
Various courses in 16 different foreign languages	70
Computer skills	7
Third level studies	15

In 1991, 85 officers received 100 per cent refund of fees while 14 officers received refunds of 50 per cent of fees.

The Department avail of every opportunity to nominate officers to attend relevant training courses organised by outside agencies. Six officers attended week-long training courses in 1991 arranged by the EC Commission in Brussels. A similar number of officers will attend these courses in 1992 and the Department will also nominate officers to participate in various international seminars (such as those organised on EC negotiations by the European Institute of Public Administration in Maastricht and on "Europe After 1992" by the Salzburg Seminar).