Aisling Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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248. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason a legal executive officer cannot currently apply for a secondment to another role like all other staff grades; and the reason that some grades can apply for secondments, and some cannot, contributing to a loss of opportunity based on ambiguous rules. [33246/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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A secondments provides opportunities for staff members to broaden their skills and continue their professional and personal development while retaining the right to return to their substantive or equivalent position in the sending organisation at the end of the secondment. It also provides an opportunity for the receiving organisation to fill a temporary position with both the receiving and sending organisation benefiting from shared learning, good practice, new ideas and experience.

A Legal Executive is a professional and technical (P&T) grade in the Civil Service. P&T grade are distinguished by the fact that these positions require a unique qualification for the post, officers must be a member of a regulated professional body (e.g. IAASA for Accountants, and officers must have a level of technical experience/specific qualification/training required. Other Civil Service grades, for example Clerical Officer, Executive Officer, and Higher Executive Officer, are generalist position and do not have the same level of essential requirements.

P&T staff members can currently move on a temporary basis/secondment through an Expression of Interest process which is advertised by the Public Appointments Service. Officers who are interested in applying for secondment must be the same grade as the advertised position (or one that is analogous) (See point 3.1 of FAQ).

Further information on the Secondment Policy is available to view at: