I propose to take Questions Nos. 445 and 446 together.
The Press and Information Office in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine consists of the Press Officer and six support staff members.
The breakdown of staff is: 1 Press Officer, appointed internally at Assistant Principal Officer level, 1 Higher Executive Officer, 1 Administrative Officer, 2 Executive Officers and 2 Clerical Officers. Since 2015, the only additional position to the Press Office was the appointment of an Administrative Officer in April 2017, who deals with the key emerging functions of social media and communications, as distinct from traditional media queries.
The Press and Information Office is part of the Corporate Affairs Division and is headed by the Press Officer, who typically reports to the Principal Officer who is head of division in the area. The head of division in turn reports to the Assistant Secretary with responsibility for Human Resources and Corporate Affairs. These positions exist within previously existing structures within the Department. No panel for communications officers has been established in my Department. A Head of Communications has not been appointed to my Department. However, there is an option for the Department to make such an appointment at Principal Officer level on foot of a competition being run by the Public Appointments Service, which is currently in train.
The Press and Information Office is the primary point of contact between the Department and members of the media, as well as members of the general public. The office is responsible for communicating with media and members of the public regarding the work of the Minister, the Minister of State and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.