Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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112. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of interns that have been based in his Department and the period of time in each case from 2011 to date in 2013; if he will break down the figures between those in the JobBridge scheme, other paid internships and other unpaid internships; if he will further break down these figures between his Department's sections here and at each diplomatic mission abroad, stating whether they were paid or unpaid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38322/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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My Department has sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to provide up to 46 paid internships annually at headquarters and in Missions abroad. These are awarded to suitable candidates who have undertaken relevant third-level studies or who have other relevant skills or experience. Interns are recruited following a competitive process and are remunerated on the basis of the Executive Officer salary scale. Up to twenty-five of the temporary recruits are assigned for periods of approximately 18-21 months as Junior Professional Interns in the Department’s Development Cooperation Division and a small number of Missions. That Division, which is partly headquartered in Limerick City, also hosts two University of Limerick students twice-yearly under an internship programme operated by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The remaining nineteen posts are allocated to other Units of the Department dealing with other areas of foreign policy including human rights, disarmament, conflict resolution and international legal affairs and to a small number of multilateral Missions. In these cases the internships are normally for periods of up-to 11 months. The Department also facilitates an annual 7-week placement for a University of Notre Dame student, with all costs in that case borne by the University. Some unpaid short-duration placements also occasionally arise at Missions abroad, as do paid short-term local staff positions.

Separately, the Department was given approval in 2012 to recruit a small number of Interns for the period leading up to and for the duration of the Irish Presidency of the European Union in the first half of this year. As part of a management review of policy in this area, I have asked my Department to make renewed efforts to engage with the JobBridge scheme with a view to making a number of placements during the remainder of 2013 and early next year. Despite our efforts to avail of this scheme, including the advertising of some vacancies, no placements have been made to-date.

As much as possible of the information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table. However, in the time available, it was not possible to compile and include details of all unpaid internships or similar placements at Missions abroad.

2011

2012

2013