Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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79. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the process by which a new salary point was agreed for a five-year period for the next Secretary General of the Department of Health; his role in this matter and the approvals given; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2149/21]

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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87. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the stage at which his attention was drawn to the fact that the existing Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform would be interested in the position of Secretary General of the Department of Health ; if, in advance of appointing them to the interim position, he requested that if they were appointed to the role on a permanent basis that they might waive the salary increase and increase to their pension arising therefrom in the public interest given their role as head of the Civil Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2103/21]

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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88. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the increase in salary of 50% proposed in respect of the Secretary General of the Department of Health will not apply to any other Department including his own when a successor to the Secretary General is appointed and that assistant secretary and lower grades of the Department of Health will also not be the subject of grade elevation now; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2104/21]

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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90. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will confirm that the new secretary general of the Department of Health will be paid an annual salary of €292,000, significantly in excess of the top scale of Secretary General I (PPC) of €211,742; the reason this derogation from the rules was sought;and if there are comparable roles within the public service paying an annual salary in excess of the top pay scale. [2126/21]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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91. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the circumstances by which a decision was taken to introduce a new salary point for a new Secretary General in the Department of Health; the person or body which initiated this issue; the Ministers or Departments involved in this decision; the specific rationale for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2150/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 79, 87, 88, 90 and 91 together.

Following the reassignment of the Department's former Secretary General to a newly established Government Department in July 2020, action was immediately taken to appoint an experienced senior official from the Department of Health as Acting Secretary General.  This has ensured that the Department has been in a position to properly fulfil its role in relation to the management of the response to the pandemic over recent months.  The decision to appointing a person on an acting basis was made at that time pending further consideration on how the post should be filled on a substantive basis. 

Government has now decided that an Interim Secretary General should be appointed until the completion of an open competition run by the Top Level Appointments Committee to fill the post for a five year term.  That competition is underway and is expected to be completed in the early months of this year.