James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will stop Mr. Conlan there. That is very interesting. I do not for one moment question the skills and expertise that we may have in the political sphere and how they can benefit, aid and assist the work the Department does. I am thinking in particular of a former Minister for Foreign Affairs, and I know Eamon Gilmore has done plenty of work with the Department post his life in electoral politics.

It muddied the waters a little last year when a person had sought to have a role created and the Government approached the Department of Foreign Affairs. Was it the norm previous to then for that to have happened?