Departmental Staff

Tuesday, 18 November 2025

Questions (192)

George Lawlor

Question:

192. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade 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. [63025/25]

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Written answers

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade currently employs 33 Principal Officers (POs) including nine POs seconded to this Department to serve in missions abroad.

The table below outlines the number of officers recruited or promoted to fill PO vacancies in this Department across the years 2022 to 2025 from internal and open competitions. There were no PO roles filled via mobility during the period outlined.

	Internal	Open
2022	2	0
2023	0	1
2024	3	0
2025	1	0
Total	6	1

Since 2010, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has completed six internal PO competitions and one open competition for a fixed term contract at PO level. In addition, an open competition for a permanent role at PO level is currently underway. The Department also recruits for a number of roles equivalent to PO such as Counsellor, Legal Counsellor and Development Specialist Counsellor.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continues to work with Publicjobs on ensuring an adequate pipeline of staff across all grades.