The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment expects to second up to ten individuals to provide short-term, specialist support, primarily within the areas of legislation and policy, for Ireland’s EU Presidency. Given the central role Presidency teams play in coordinating EU negotiations, additional legal expertise, sectoral knowledge and project management experience will enhance the Department’s capacity during this period.
The Department has approached a number of consultancy, accountancy and law firms to explore the possibility of seconding staff for the duration of the Presidency. Discussions with interested firms are ongoing. These arrangements are consistent with established secondment practices, whereby targeted approaches may be made to relevant private sector bodies when specific expertise is required.
The Presidency planning team welcomes engagement with national and international industry partners to ensure Ireland is effectively represented during our EU Presidency. This approach is standard practice across all EU Presidencies, where each presiding country utilises all available resources, whether from the private or public sectors, on a voluntary, temporary, or other arrangement.
These secondees will provide temporary, specialist support, primarily in the areas of legislation and policy. Parent companies will continue to meet salary costs, with the Department covering travel and subsistence expenses where required.
Individuals proposed for secondment are being progressed through engagement and suitability discussions, rather than formal interview processes, reflecting the temporary and specialist nature of the roles. Some secondees are expected to take up duties shortly. While the positions do not correspond directly to a Civil Service grade, the responsibilities are broadly aligned with Assistant Principal Officer level.
To safeguard against potential conflicts of interest these individuals will not be assigned roles whereby they would chair meetings, lead on departmental positions, negotiate on matters affecting their sector, or access sensitive Government information or discussions.
