Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of programme managers, special advisors, policy assistants, personnel on secondment and other personnel who are not part of the existing Civil Service who make up his Department, including permanent civil servants attached to the office of the Minister and Minister of States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33010/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The core staff number authorised for my Department is currently 1,576. This figure includes approximately 300 staff who are recruited locally to work in our Missions abroad but excludes clerical staff employed on fixed term contracts to work in the Passport Offices during the peak season. It excludes a limited number of interns engaged on fixed term contracts to work in the Department's Political and Legal Divisions and in Irish Aid, as well as a public servant who is on secondment from the IDA.

There have been no programme managers in the Department of Foreign Affairs since 1997. I have one Special Adviser (non-established), one Press Adviser (non-established) and one Personal Secretary (non-established) based in the Department of Foreign Affairs. I also have one Personal Assistant (non-established) based in the office in my constituency.

My colleague Mr. Dick Roche T.D., Minister of State with special responsibility for European Affairs at my Department and at the Department of An Taoiseach, has appointed one Special Adviser (non-established), one Personal Assistant (non-established) and two Temporary Civilian Drivers (non-established) to his office. He also appointed one Personal Secretary (non-established) to his constituency office. My colleague Mr. Michael Kitt T.D., Minister of State with special responsibility for Overseas Development at the Department of Foreign Affairs, has appointed one Personal Assistant (non-established) and two Temporary Civilian Drivers (non-established), together with one Personal Secretary (non-established) to his constituency office.

The non-established officers and civilian drivers referred to are employed on the basis of a contract which is coterminous with the appointment of the relevant office holder.