Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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324. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (detail supplied) will receive an update on an application to transfer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45601/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to ensuring that a highly skilled, motivated and efficient workforce is in place to meet on-going business needs. Workforce planning is a key tool in enabling my Department to forecast its current and future staffing needs. As a management function, it drives the full range of HR activities including recruitment, deployment, performance, learning and development. Workforce Planning aims to ensure a long-term, proactive and strategic plan by which my Department achieves the right level of talent in each location and Division, at the right time. All posts are filled in the context of my Department's constantly evolving business needs.

The transfer of staff across my Department is facilitated through the availability of candidates to support the backfilling of the vacancy which arises as a consequence of an officer’s deployment. In the event that these post are at entry level, posts are filled on foot of competitions run by our recruitment partners in the Public Appointments Service and my Department's Human Resources Division in accordance with the recruitment principles of the Commission for Public Service Appointments. The timescale for competitions can vary, depending on the recruitment process to be undertaken and the number of applicants. In addition, many competitions result in the setting up of panels for appointment over a period of time, which may give rise to elapses in time between the initial advertisement and the filling of individual posts. The Human Resources Division of my Department works to minimise delays in the assignment of officers across my Department, be they new entrant assignments or involving the transfer of officers whom are already serving. This practice is reflective also of the processes involved in the case of the officer specifically named within the question raised. The HR Division of my Department is working to progress this reassignment and related documentation will issue in due course in line with standard practice.

As an Employer of Choice, my Department, like other Departments across the Civil Service, has many flexible and family friendly policies which can be applied for in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions and may be of benefit in circumstances where additional flexibility is required. My HR Division welcome the opportunity to assist all our Department’s officers in examining possible options available to them to address individual circumstances which they find themselves in throughout their career. The named officer may wish to avail of such an opportunity to discuss their situation directly and discreetly with a member of the HR team.