TWO OF the most senior positions in the Civil Service will go to inside candidates, according to reliable sources in Government.
The top position in the Civil Service, that of secretary general to the Department of the Taoiseach and to the Government, will most likely come from within the ranks of the department, said the sources, although a few possible candidates from outside the department have been mentioned, including Rory Montgomery, a senior official at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
While senior Government officials declined to disclose the identity of the person to succeed Dermot McCarthy, sources said that if the appointment is made internally, the most likely appointee would be Martin Fraser.
Mr Fraser is an assistant secretary with responsibility for Northern Ireland and international affairs and is also in charge of corporate affairs. Highly regarded by colleagues, he joined the department in 1999 and also worked in the Departments of Agriculture, Foreign Affairs and Social Welfare.
The shortlist of five for the position of secretary general of the Department of Justice and Defence was also comprised of five senior officials from the department.
The Government will today make a decision on the two key appointments at the final Cabinet meeting before its summer break.
The position in the Department of the Taoiseach is in the gift of the Government alone while the justice position is subject to the Top Levels Appointment Commission process. In all, there were 13 applicants for the position but the shortlist of five was drawn from senior officials in the Department. While both appointments are likely to be made by Cabinet today, the Government may delay the announcements until later in the week.
