Vol. 526 No. 6
121 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to concerns expressed by members of the staff of his Department regarding the manner in which new posts arising from Ireland's seat on the Security Council have been filled; the steps that are being taken to address the concerns of staff members; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27497/00]
My attention was drawn to concerns expressed by staff members of this Department in relation to the manner in which new posts arising from Ireland's seat on the Security Council have been filled. However, I am satisfied that the decisions taken are the correct and responsible ones from the point of view of good management and that, following consultation with management in the Department, the staff associations representing the staff members involved appreciate the rationale for those decisions.
The Deputy will be aware of the important ongoing agenda of work in my Department. This includes issues such as the enlargement of the EU, the intergovernmental conference on EU Treaty changes, disarmament, Northern Ireland, development aid etc. It is not possible to disrupt this work in mid-year by redeploying the staff members involved.
Our approach to SECCO membership was two-fold, to be able to operate effectively from the start by using a number of people who had the necessary knowledge and experience and who could move seamlessly from campaign work to meet membership demands, and to minimise disruption of the ongoing work of the Department.
