Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 177: To ask the Taoiseach if the Office of the Attorney General has plans to establish a training programme for parliamentary draftspeople. [37924/06]

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 178: To ask the Taoiseach the position regarding filling vacancies for parliamentary draftspersons in the Office of the Attorney General. [37925/06]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 178 together.

I refer to the Deputy to my reply to Written Question No. 221 from Deputy Gormley on 27 September. I then stated that "there is a formal training programme for new drafters with heavy emphasis on practical experience".

The Plan was drawn up in 2002 and continues to be implemented since then to ensure that new drafters entering the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government would receive consistent and extensive training to enable them to continue the high standard of legal drafting work provided by the Office to the Government.

In relation to the filling of vacancies, I also dealt with that issue in the reply referred to above, when I stated that "The Office intends to run another recruitment competition early in the New Year when the pool of eligible experienced candidates will have increased". Since the reply, an extra Contract Drafter has joined the Office but that addition will be offset in a few weeks when an existing Contract Drafter will leave having completed her term with the Office.