Mr. Kenneth Mooney:

Yes, that is the case. The secondment policy for the Civil Service is outlined in Circular 27/2021. That was issued by the then Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in December 2021 and revised in January 2022. As the Minister mentioned, there is no specific single circular or guiding policy that relates to Civil Service to public service. There is no requirement currently that secondments should be no more than five years in duration.