Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
263. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding any mechanism in place within his Department that allows for civil servants to transfer on secondment to an equivalent role within the European Union, without negatively impacting their pension and other employment rights; his views on the merits of such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34417/26]
View answerThere is currently a scheme, the Seconded National Expert scheme, operating between the EU Commission, EU Bodies and Member States, which facilitates secondments between my Department and institutions of the European Commission. Under this scheme, staff members who transfer on secondment remain on their existing civil servant terms and conditions of employment, with no impact on their pension or employment rights.
There is no current mechanism that exists to facilitate the transfer on secondment to the Civil Service of another Member State, other than the option available to staff to take a career break of up to 5 years. This however does have an impact upon reckonable service for pension purposes. The establishment of such a scheme, due to the proposed measures to avoid pension impacts would need to be a centralised initiative, and would therefore be a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
