I presume the Deputy's question refers to cases involving leave of absence where the officer continued to receive his or her salary. Four such cases have arisen in the Department of Foreign Affairs in the period in question.
Department of Finance circular 15/2004 invited applications from officers serving as higher executive officers or administrative officers or in equivalent grades to compete to participate in a masters programme in public policy analysis. This is a two-year programme involving one year of academic study followed by a year involving projects in public policy evaluation. Successful completion of the programme results in the award of a National University of Ireland accredited MSc Econ in public policy analysis. Officers who successful complete the programme will also be appointed to the grade of assistant principal officer. Following competitive interviews, one officer of this Department, a third secretary, was selected by the Department of Finance to participate in the programme and has successfully completed the first year of full-time academic study.
The three other cases relate to attendance at the École Nationale d'Administration, ÉNA in France under a scheme also operated by the Department of Finance. ÉNA was established in 1945 as one of a number of fundamental reforms of the French Civil Service, with the purpose of selecting, training and developing future senior civil servants for positions throughout the public sector. Since 1964, the French authorities have reserved a number of places at ÉNA for foreign students from public administrations throughout the world. Selection of foreign students for ÉNA is on a competitive basis, with the final decision resting with the French authorities. The course provides an opportunity for Irish civil servants to gain first-hand experience of the work of the French public sector in a wide range of areas and to make contacts with existing and future senior French civil servants and with civil servants from more than 20 countries represented on the course. It also provides an opportunity to further develop French language skills.
The selection process for ÉNA includes French oral and written examinations conducted by the Civil Service training and development centre at the Department of Finance. Selected candidates are then invited to attend for interview and an oral language test at the French Embassy in Dublin.
Two officers of the Department were selected for, attended and successfully completed the course at the École in the period in question. These were a third secretary, from September 2001 to March 2003 and an executive officer, from October 2002 to July 2003. A third officer, a third secretary, has been studying at the École since September 2004 and will resume duty with the Department next March.