Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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121. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of full-time and part-time civil servants his Department has recruited by grade in each of the years 2014 to 2018 and to date in 2019; the number of full-time and part-time civil servants his Department has lost due to retirement by grade in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41819/19]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In recent years my Department has recruited a significant number of additional staff. As well as  recruitment to fill vacancies that arose during the embargo, staff have been allocated to support brexit-related negotiations and preparations following the decision by the UK in 2016 to leave the EU. Further investment since then relates primarily to the enhancement of Ireland’s mission network as part of Global Ireland 2025, including operational and policy reinforcement in headquarters to support that objective.

In the past year new Embassies have opened in Wellington, Bogotá, Amman, Monrovia and Santiago de Chile, and new Consulates General in Vancouver, Mumbai, Cardiff, Frankfurt and Los Angeles. This brings to ninety the number of diplomatic Missions in the network. Next year new Embassy openings are planned for Kyiv, Manila and Rabat.

My Department has strengthened capacity in the Passport Service by recruiting additional permanent and temporary staff over the past twelve months to respond to a general increase in applications as well as from Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Full-time and part-time Civil Servants in my Department recruited between 1 January 2014 and 30 September 2019 are detailed by grade in the following table. 

Full-time and part-time Civil Servants in my Department that have retired between 1 January 2014 and 30 September 2019 are detailed by grade in the following table.

The tables include staff recruited to fill vacancies or newly approved posts. 

The lists do not include political staff such as Special Advisers or Temporary Clerical Officers (TCOs) who are engaged annually on fixed- term contracts primarily to assist the Passport Service during the annual peak demand period.

The tables do not include temporary Third Secretaries, officers transferred in on a ‘head-to-head’ basis, or on mobility.