587. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of civil and public servants employed by his Department in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [33953/26]

The Deputy will be aware the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) was established in July 2020.

Please note that our department does not hold complete records of staff numbers for the period 2020–2023, as the HR function was shared with the Department of Education during that time.

The table below outlines the total headcount of civil servants employed by my department end of year 2024, end of year 2025 and as of the 28 March 2026.