Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 458: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the rates of overtime or additional allowances payable to staff who work in his Department's press office in respect of persons being on call and their additional attendance at work before or after normal hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29294/05]

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 459: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amounts of[i] ex gratia[/i] payments made to staff in his Department's press office in respect of persons being on call and their additional attendance at work before or after normal hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29309/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 458 and 459 together.

The press adviser, who is a non-established State employee, remains on call after normal hours and does not receive any additional payment over and above his stated salary. An officer of the Department's press section is on duty each weekend to co-ordinate the issuing of press statements by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Ministers of State in response to unanticipated events and to enable media queries to be responded to promptly. The weekend press duty officer receives an allowance of €120.

Each weekday morning, from 8 a.m. onwards, a third secretary and a clerical officer attached to the press section prepare press summaries for the Minister and the Ministers of State. These are also widely circulated throughout the Department at headquarters and to our 75 missions abroad. Overtime payments in respect of that and any other extra attendance approved from time to time are made in line with standard Civil Service rates. The Department's press officer, a first secretary, receives an annual allowance of €2,539.48 in respect of being on call and for additional attendance after normal working hours.

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 460: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount of compensatory leave granted or due to be granted to staff in his Department; the individuals to whom they were granted in respect of additional attendance at work before or after normal hours of attendance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29324/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The arrangements agreed centrally between the Department of Finance and relevant Civil Service unions under which officers serving in certain general service and departmental grades may be compensated, financially or by way of leave in lieu, for extra attendance are set out in Department of Finance circular 27/99. Under this circular, where leave in lieu is preferred to payment, overtime hours worked during the period Monday to Friday accrue at the flat rate. More favourable rates apply in respect of Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, when leave in lieu generally accrues at the rate of time plus one half.

The above arrangements apply only to officers serving in grades up to and including higher executive officer and equivalent. It would be inappropriate to publicise the names of the individual officers who have accrued or availed of leave in lieu of overtime.

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 461: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the personnel files of staff in his Department have been copied or given to external parties; if so, the safeguards which have been put in place to ensure that no personal data of any member of staff in his Department will be released to third parties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29339/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The only case where personnel files of staff have been copied or given to external parties has been where they have been transferred, on request, to the chief medical officer at the Civil Service occupational health department. Until recently, it had been the practice of the Department's human resources section to send personnel files to the chief medical officer in cases where professional medical advice was required by the Department. That practice was discontinued on the advice of the chief medical officer and instead a written report on the case in a format suggested by the chief medical officer is now normally sent. The full files are forwarded only if requested by the chief medical officer.

The personnel files of the staff of the Department are treated as strictly confidential. They are held in a secure area within the human resources section. Neither the files nor the data thereon would be released or made available to third parties by the personnel officer, with the exception of the chief medical officer, without the consent of the officer concerned. A request from the Garda for information from a personnel file as part of a criminal investigation would be granted.

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 462: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of staff in his Department to whom leave of absence, or any other absence from normal duties or place of work, in excess of two months was granted for educational purposes in any year since 2002; the nature of the educational course undertaken in each case; if there are terms or conditions relating to academic achievement attached to the granting of such leave; if personnel who were granted such leave failed to complete their courses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29354/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I presume the Deputy's question refers to cases involving leave of absence where the officer continued to receive his or her salary. Four such cases have arisen in the Department of Foreign Affairs in the period in question.

Department of Finance circular 15/2004 invited applications from officers serving as higher executive officers or administrative officers or in equivalent grades to compete to participate in a masters programme in public policy analysis. This is a two-year programme involving one year of academic study followed by a year involving projects in public policy evaluation. Successful completion of the programme results in the award of a National University of Ireland accredited MSc Econ in public policy analysis. Officers who successful complete the programme will also be appointed to the grade of assistant principal officer. Following competitive interviews, one officer of this Department, a third secretary, was selected by the Department of Finance to participate in the programme and has successfully completed the first year of full-time academic study.

The three other cases relate to attendance at the École Nationale d'Administration, ÉNA in France under a scheme also operated by the Department of Finance. ÉNA was established in 1945 as one of a number of fundamental reforms of the French Civil Service, with the purpose of selecting, training and developing future senior civil servants for positions throughout the public sector. Since 1964, the French authorities have reserved a number of places at ÉNA for foreign students from public administrations throughout the world. Selection of foreign students for ÉNA is on a competitive basis, with the final decision resting with the French authorities. The course provides an opportunity for Irish civil servants to gain first-hand experience of the work of the French public sector in a wide range of areas and to make contacts with existing and future senior French civil servants and with civil servants from more than 20 countries represented on the course. It also provides an opportunity to further develop French language skills.

The selection process for ÉNA includes French oral and written examinations conducted by the Civil Service training and development centre at the Department of Finance. Selected candidates are then invited to attend for interview and an oral language test at the French Embassy in Dublin.

Two officers of the Department were selected for, attended and successfully completed the course at the École in the period in question. These were a third secretary, from September 2001 to March 2003 and an executive officer, from October 2002 to July 2003. A third officer, a third secretary, has been studying at the École since September 2004 and will resume duty with the Department next March.

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 463: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of staff who applied for a refund of course fees in respect of courses undertaken at night or evenings; the value of refunds expected to be made by his Department in 2005; the number of staff to whom approval to attend a course was granted in the last academic year but did not subsequently apply for the refund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29369/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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One of the key objectives of the training and development strategy of the Department of Foreign Affairs is to foster a culture of continuous learning within the Department to help staff develop the competencies necessary to perform to the best of their ability. In addition to the provision of classroom style and, in some cases, individualised training courses, the Department also operates a refund of fees scheme through which course fees relating to study by staff in their own time may be refunded in full. Such support is dependent on certain criteria. In particular, the course must be relevant to the officer's career in the Civil Service. To qualify for a refund under the scheme, the applicant must also complete the course and sit the relevant examinations.

To date, 24 of the Department's staff have applied for refunds of fees in respect of courses being undertaken during the 2005-06 academic year. The total value of refunds in 2005 is expected to amount to about €113,000, including final payments in respect of the 2004 to 2005 academic year. Two staff applied for prior approval to attend courses on a refund of fees basis in respect of the 2004 to 2005 academic year but did not subsequently apply for refunds.