Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 281: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of staff who received financial assistance to pursue courses in further or higher education in each of the past five years; and the number of such staff who were subsequently re-assigned to duties appropriate to their new qualifications. [45325/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The number of staff that received financial assistance to pursue courses in further or higher education in each of the past five academic years is as follows: 2005-2006: 51 2006-2007: 51 2007-2008: 61 2008-2009: 29 2009-2010: 32 This involves a total of 135 individual staff members pursuing a course during the period in question. Qualifications acquired by officers are one of the criteria used in assigning them to a post within the Department. There are a number of qualifications e.g. the Institute of Public Administration courses in Public Management which are relevant across a range of positions within the Department.