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Annual Report of the Ombudsman 2008 (text version)

4.1 Civil Service Overview

The Departments of State are as follows:

• Taoiseach
• Finance
• Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
• Arts, Sport and Tourism
• Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
• Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
• Defence
• Education and Science
• Enterprise, Trade and Employment
• Environment, Heritage and Local Government
• Foreign Affairs
• Health and Children
• Justice, Equality and Law Reform
• Social and Family Affairs (Complaints against this department are included in Chapter 6)
• Transport

In addition, there are Central Government Offices that perform key government functions, for example, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and others that are specifically recognised by the Constitution, such as the Office of the Comptroller  and Auditor General to whom are assigned specific statutory functions.

The civil service is charged with two principal tasks:

1. to assist members of the government in making policy,
2. to carry out policy decisions.

There are approximately 37,000 people [on a whole-time equivalent basis] employed in the civil service, in areas ranging from clerical and administrative posts to senior managerial, professional and technical posts. The work of civil servants ranges across many areas including finance, economic and social policy, education, health services, industry, transport, agriculture, fisheries and food, energy, justice and equality, legal affairs, social and community services, heritage, tourism and sport areas.

Teachers and members of An Garda Síochána and staff of local authorities and of the health services belong to the wider public service, rather than the civil service. Their salaries, however, are also paid from central government funds.

Individual members of the government are designated as the Ministers with sole responsibility for the administration of the various Departments of State. Each such department has a permanent staff consisting of administrative, professional, specialist and technical employees. The head civil servant of each department is titled Secretary General, who is appointed for a term of office of 7 years by the government.

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