Work of the Ministers' Offices

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The Private Office of a Minister pursues a wide variety of tasks, activities and functions in the serving of a Minister. The main goal of the Office is to provide the best possible service to the Minister on the one hand, and to the Department on the other, whereby its procedures, actions and decisions made will not be to the detriment of either.

The Private Office communicates the wishes, decisions and views of the Minister to the Department, both orally and in writing, and also acts as a filter of information and documentation between the Department and the Minister.

Co-ordination of a Minister’s activities is a key function of any Ministerial office. In the main, this involves maintaining the Minister’s diary by scheduling appointments and events in an effective manner taking into account the wishes of the Minister. It also includes the co-ordination of suitable briefing and speech material for various Ministerial functions. Co-ordination of activities also includes the provision and organisation of transport and accommodation for a Minister as well as any other logistical requirements which may arise throughout the course of a Minister’s working week.

The Ministerial Private Office also acts as the link between the Department and the Houses of the Oireachtas. This involves the administration of Dáil and Seanad business including Parliamentary Questions (PQ’s), Adjournment Debates and Private Notice Questions. The Private Office also provides general advice with regard to Oireachtas business such as organising time for the Second Stage of Bills.

The Ministerial Office also provides an important function with regard to a Minister’s constituency office. Given that a Minister’s time is at a premium and a large proportion of any working day is taken up with Departmental responsibilities, the constituency office and the work of Departmental officials assigned to it, allow for constituency work to be carried on in spite of the extra demands placed on a Minister due to his/her title and responsibilities.