Mr. Derek Moran:

I can get those statistics for the Chairman. I do not have them with me. Under the public service reform programme, we have opened recruitment at every level and at all grades from clerical officer up to Secretary General. The Civil Service is competitive. We found that we needed to take on people during the crisis when the labour market was soft and we were able to recruit very good quality people, but three, four and five years on from that, as opportunities have opened up for people in terms of their career development, we are starting to lose those people. We have a different set of circumstances.

I know from talking to colleagues in the system that their turnover rates are tiny and people leave due to retirements, the ending of career breaks and so on. Our strategy is that we recruit people with the skills but we also develop skills in-house. We have had many discussions during the past eight to ten years on specialisation. My view is that in the Department people will probably specialise three or four times during the course of their career. We must have the wherewithal to develop the economic expertise. In terms of career development, we offer a diploma in financial services, which will start next month, in order that people can get the necessary skills and they can also do the banking courses. It is a question of both buying and making, if that makes sense.