FIVE of the most senior civil service jobs in the land become vacant at the end of the year. The positions, which carry salaries of between £92,676 and £87,604, have been or will be advertised. A three-name shortlist is drawn up by the Top Level Appointments Committee, (TLAC) which is brought to Cabinet by the relevant minister for a decision. The jobs are unique not only because of the power they wield, but because until recently, they earned more than their bosses - the ministers. In one instance, in Finance, this still applies. Frank Murray, the secretary to the Government, is taking early retirement and is expected to be replaced by either the assistant secretary, Peter Ryan, or Dermot McCarthy, assistant secretary at the Department of the Taoiseach. Four secretary generals are also stepping down - Paddy Mullarkey from Finance, Tadhg O hEalaithe from Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, John Loughrey from Public Enterprise and Jerry O'Dwyer from Health.
With the exception of the Departments of Finance and Foreign Affairs, however, departmental secretary generals are subject to a sevenyear rule of tenure, so while some of the above are retiring, others have reached the end of contract. Moves are currently afoot to bring Finance and Foreign Affairs within the scope of TLAC, its selection procedure and its time limit.
Of course, until recently all these secretary generals used to be called permanent secretaries. The change came when one took offence during a trip to the Far East with his minister when he was continually referred to, in translation, as "the everlasting typist".