Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh míle maith agat as ucht teacht ós comhair an choiste chun an ábhar seo a phlé. I thank Mr. Moloney for coming in front of the committee to discuss this topic. To start off on secondments, the crux of the issue that people have been querying over the last number of weeks and months is in relation to a temporary nature of a secondment. If we look at the HR section on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's website, it states that a secondment is a temporary arrangement that facilitates the release and movement of staff members for a specified period of time in a way which does not affect their employment status. It goes on to note that the maximum time period for this temporary arrangement is five years. The circular Mr. Moloney referenced was published on the 31 December 2021. Does this differ from previous circulars in relation to secondments because I, and people generally, would understand that a secondment is of a temporary nature? Can Mr. Moloney comment on that? Does he see a secondment as a temporary situation?