In recent years my Department has recruited a significant number of additional staff. As well as recruitment to fill vacancies that arose during the embargo, staff have been allocated to support brexit-related negotiations and preparations following the decision by the UK in 2016 to leave the EU. Further investment since then relates primarily to the enhancement of Ireland’s mission network as part of Global Ireland 2025, including operational and policy reinforcement in headquarters to support that objective.
In the past year new Embassies have opened in Wellington, Bogotá, Amman, Monrovia and Santiago de Chile, and new Consulates General in Vancouver, Mumbai, Cardiff, Frankfurt and Los Angeles. This brings to ninety the number of diplomatic Missions in the network. Next year new Embassy openings are planned for Kyiv, Manila and Rabat.
My Department has strengthened capacity in the Passport Service by recruiting additional permanent and temporary staff over the past twelve months to respond to a general increase in applications as well as from Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Full-time and part-time Civil Servants in my Department recruited between 1 January 2014 and 30 September 2019 are detailed by grade in the following table.
2014
|
|
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
|
1
|
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
|
2
|
THIRD SECRETARY
|
25
|
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
|
1
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
1
|
2015
|
|
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
|
1
|
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
|
3
|
SENIOR ARCHITECT
|
1
|
THIRD SECRETARY
|
11
|
HIGHER EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
3
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
3
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
23.6
|
SERVICES OFFICER
|
2
|
2016
|
|
PRINCIPAL OFFICER
|
1
|
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
|
4
|
ASSISTANT LEGAL ADVISOR
|
2
|
FIRST SECRETARY
|
3
|
PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANT GR 1
|
1
|
THIRD SECRETARY
|
30
|
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
|
1
|
HIGHER EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
4
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
13
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
53
|
SERVICES OFFICER
|
4
|
2017
|
|
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
|
1
|
ASSISTANT LEGAL ADVISOR
|
1
|
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
|
6
|
FIRST SECRETARY
|
17
|
PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANT GR 1
|
1
|
THIRD SECRETARY
|
21
|
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
|
1
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
27
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
63
|
2018
|
|
COUNSELLOR
|
2
|
PRINCIPAL OFFICER
|
1
|
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
|
5
|
FIRST SECRETARY
|
7
|
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
|
3
|
ARCHITECT
|
2
|
THIRD SECRETARY
|
37
|
ARCHIVIST
|
1
|
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
|
1
|
HIGHER EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
11
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
22
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
93
|
SERVICES OFFICER
|
3
|
SERVICES ATTENDANT
|
1
|
2019 to date
|
|
PRINCIPAL OFFICER
|
1.7
|
PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANT
|
3
|
FIRST SECRETARY
|
14
|
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
|
6
|
ASSISTANT LEGAL ADVISOR
|
2
|
THIRD SECRETARY
|
52
|
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
|
1
|
ARCHIVIST GRADE III
|
1
|
HIGHER EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
9
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
19
|
ICT APPRENTICE
|
1
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
145
|
SERVICES OFFICER
|
2
|
Full-time and part-time Civil Servants in my Department that have retired between 1 January 2014 and 30 September 2019 are detailed by grade in the following table.
2014
|
|
SECRETARY GENERAL
|
1
|
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
|
4
|
COUNSELLOR
|
5
|
PRINCIPAL OFFICER
|
3
|
SENIOR DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
|
1
|
PROFESSIONAL OFFICER GRADE III
|
1
|
STAFF OFFICER
|
1
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
5.3
|
2015
|
|
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
|
5
|
COUNSELLOR HIGHER
|
7
|
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
|
1
|
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
|
3
|
FIRST SECRETARY
|
1
|
HIGHER EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
3
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
0.6
|
STAFF OFFICER
|
2
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
8.7
|
2016
|
|
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
|
4
|
COUNSELLOR
|
2
|
FIRST SECRETARY
|
1
|
HIGHER EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
1.8
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
1.5
|
STAFF OFFICER
|
1
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
6
|
NIGHTWATCHMAN
|
1
|
CLEANER
|
1
|
2017
|
|
SECRETARY GENERAL
|
1
|
DEPUTY SECRETARY
|
1
|
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
|
4
|
SENIOR DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
|
1
|
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
|
2
|
FIRST SECRETARY
|
1
|
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
|
0.8
|
HIGHER EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
3
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
2
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
21.2
|
SERVICES OFFICER
|
1
|
2018
|
|
DEPUTY SECRETARY
|
1
|
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
|
1
|
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
|
1
|
FIRST SECRETARY
|
1
|
HIGHER EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
2
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
2.6
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
9.3
|
2019 to date
|
|
SECRETARY GENERAL
|
2
|
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
|
1
|
COUNSELLOR
|
1
|
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
|
2
|
FIRST SECRETARY
|
1
|
HIGHER EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
6.5
|
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
|
0.8
|
CLERICAL OFFICER
|
6.6
|
SERVICES OFFICER
|
1
|
CLEANER
|
1
|
The tables include staff recruited to fill vacancies or newly approved posts.
The lists do not include political staff such as Special Advisers or Temporary Clerical Officers (TCOs) who are engaged annually on fixed- term contracts primarily to assist the Passport Service during the annual peak demand period.
The tables do not include temporary Third Secretaries, officers transferred in on a ‘head-to-head’ basis, or on mobility.