Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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233. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if a panel has been established in his Department for communications officers; if a Civil Service position of head of communications or similar role or description has been appointed in his Department; if so, when the appointment occurred; the grade at which it occurred; the reason for same; the policy basis for same; the person that approved the appointment; his plans to make such an appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11723/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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No panel has been established in my Department for the position of communications officer. I can confirm that arising from recommendations of the Toland Report and the implementation of the Change Programme in response to the Toland Report an officer at the grade of Principal Officer was assigned as Head of Communications in January 2015. The current occupant of this position has overall responsibility for communications as well as for the Department's Corporate Secretariat as a whole. The decision to assign a Principal Officer to this post was approved by my Department's Human Resources Division in the normal way.