353. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the number of EU Presidency policy and administrative officers now employed on temporary contracts across his Department, in Ireland and abroad; if these individuals can apply to internal civil service competitions for these temporary contracts; the plans being developed to retain these individuals once their contracts cease, given they will have extensive and intimate knowledge of EU and Irish institutional operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54589/26]

The number of EU Presidency policy and administrative officers employed on temporary contracts across this Department to date is as follows:

In respect of temporary officers employed in Ireland, as is standard practice across the civil service, only serving officers with not less than two years’ aggregate service in the civil service are eligible to compete in internal competitions in their current Department.

Temporary officers employed in Brussels carry no entitlement to established status in the Irish Civil Service. Those seeking to join the Department or the wider civil service on a permanent basis must, as per civil service recruitment policy, join through an open competition.

While the Department's existing staff cohort of permanent staff are responsible for chairing and hosting meetings, progressing policy and technical matters during the Presidency, temporary officers undertake administrative and general logistical support for meetings and events of the EU Presidency. Officials of my Department are committed to ensuring that these new colleagues gain valuable experience that they can take forward with them in their future careers.