George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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566. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of vacancies which arose at principal officer level for the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025 in his Department and agencies under the aegis of his Department; the number of these vacancies filled between internal and external methods; the number of vacancies each year at principal officer level filled by mobility; the number of internal competitions for principal officer grade run by his Department since 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63028/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Given the scale and diversity of functions and priorities, my Department does not maintain a fixed list of vacancies. According as posts are vacated, these are assessed against overall demand for resources meaning that the allocation of staffing is always directed towards the most critical areas. My Department keeps staffing matters under constant review in order to ensure that priority posts are filled in a timely manner and that resource allocations are balanced across the Department to meet key priorities as necessary. This approach is particularly important for roles as senior as that of Principal Officer. Priority posts are filled using the most suitable and available mechanism, and we must also have regard to officers on secondment or assignment to other bodies.

There have been 5 internal promotion competitions for the role of Principal Officer in my Department since 2010. Once established, an internal panel generally remains active for two years, or whenever the panel is exhausted.

I have listed the number of Principal Officer assignments made in the years since 2022 in the table below.