Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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1866. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide the details of the name, salary, position and roles of persons who are being paid for by his Department for secondment to another public, private or semi-private entity, in tabular form, following the announcement that the salary of a person (details supplied) being seconded to Trinity College, Dublin will be paid by the Department of Health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19542/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department regularly reviews its staff assignments to ensure that our resources are being used to support our work in the most effective and strategic manner possible. In this regard, consideration is given to achieving a balance between facilitating temporary secondment opportunities while also retaining key expertise within my Department for ongoing responsibilities. These secondments can be within the state or overseas.

Currently, my Department has a total of 28 officers on secondments including through the EU’s Seconded National Experts programme. Of the 28 arrangements, nine continue to be paid by the Department. In these instances, the roles undertaken are considered to provide employees with skills and experiences which have potential to benefit the Department.

Details of the nine arrangements where salary is currently costed to my Department are outlined below.  The table reflects annual salary costs based on 2021 figures in instances where the secondment spans the full 2021 financial year. However, as two of the National Expert secondments have recently commenced their assignments, the anticipated annual cost is reflected.