Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The points the Deputy has made on the composition of leadership within my two Departments do not reflect the reality of where we are at assistant principal and principal officer level. In the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform it is 44%. It is lower in the Department of Finance at 39%, which I acknowledge and I have shared the figures with the Deputy. It is not where it needs to be in the Department of Finance and this is why I have brought in the change on provisions for senior posts via the top level appointments committee, TLAC, because I agree with the Deputy that the leadership of our Departments needs to reflect the diversity and strength of our country. In one of my Departments, namely, the Department of Finance, we clearly have a lot of progress to make in that regard at a senior level. That is not the case in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, but where the Deputy wants to get to and where I want to get to on this is the same place.

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