MAC Minutes 2025

Monday, 6th January 2025

Present: John Callinan, John Shaw, Dermot Woods, Elizabeth Canavan, Émer Deane, Helen Blake, Mary Keenan, Padraig Ó Conaill, Brian Keenan.

MAC discussed a number of issues, including;

• Administrative matters related to the formation of a new Government;
• EU and International matters, including the upcoming World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland;
• Recent publication of the Department’s Gender Pay Gap Report 2024.

MAC also discussed a number of staffing and related matters, including;

• Staff Assignments;
• Annual ethics return obligations for designated staff;
• 2025 Strategic Leadership Programme.

——
Brian Keenan

Personnel Officer

Monday, 13th January 2025

Present: John Callinan, John Shaw, Dermot Woods, Elizabeth Canavan, Émer Deane, Helen Blake, Mary Keenan, Padraig Ó Conaill, Brian Keenan.

MAC discussed a number of issues, including;

• Administrative matters related to the formation of a new Government;
• EU and International matters, including update on diary matters which include the upcoming World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland and upcoming Auschwitz Memorial event in late January;
• British and Northern Ireland matters, including preparation for meeting of Irish Secretaries General and UK Permanent Secretaries in Dublin next week.

MAC also discussed a number of staffing and related matters, including;

• Staff Assignments;
• Department’s end December 2024 Vote Position and commencement of 2024 Audit by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General;
• Department’s Climate Action Roadmap 2024;
• Senior Management Team meetings for Q1 & Q2 2025.

——
Brian Keenan

Personnel Officer

Monday, 20th January 2025

Present: John Callinan, John Shaw, Dermot Woods, Elizabeth Canavan, Émer Deane, Helen Blake, Mary Keenan, Padraig Ó Conaill, Brian Keenan.

MAC discussed a number of issues, including;

• Draft Programme for Government and administrative matters related to the formation of a new Government;
• British and Northern Ireland matters, including preparation for a meeting of Secretaries General with UK Permanent Secretaries in Dublin on Thursday and Friday;
• EU and International matters, including ceasefire in Gaza, inauguration of President-elect Trump in the United States and preparation for Auschwitz Memorial event next week.

MAC also discussed a number of staffing and related matters, including;

• Reminder for the SPS Strategic Leadership Programme 2025 deadline of Thursday lunchtime;
• Preparation for next week’s Senior Management Team meeting.

——
Brian Keenan

Personnel Officer

Monday, 27th January 2025

Present: John Callinan, John Shaw, Dermot Woods, Elizabeth Canavan, Mary Keenan, Padraig Ó Conaill, Brian Keenan.

Apologies: Émer Deane, Helen Blake.

MAC discussed a number of issues, including;

• Appointment of Taoiseach Micheál Martin and new Government last Thursday, with special thanks to the significant number of Department staff involved in the successful preparation for and coordination of this important event;
• Update on the unprecedented impact of Storm Éowyn and the ongoing whole-of-government intensive recovery response being coordinated by the National Emergency Coordination Group;
• Discussion on the year ahead, including Programme for Government matters.

——
Brian Keenan

Personnel Officer

Monday, 4th February 2025

Present: John Callinan, John Shaw, Émer Deane, Mary Keenan, Brian Keenan.

Apologies: Dermot Woods, Elizabeth Canavan, Helen Blake, Padraig Ó Conaill.

MAC discussed a number of issues, including;

• Ongoing whole-of-government intensive recovery response to Storm Éowyn including; coordination by the National Emergency Coordination Group over the weekend;
• Economic matters, including update on housing matters and preparation for upcoming Senior Officials’ Group meeting on energy issues;
• British and Northern Ireland matters, including update on Shared Island Unit matters and preparation for the Taoiseach’s call with First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney MSP;
• Discussion on the year ahead, including Cabinet Committees.

MAC also discussed a number of staffing and related matters, including;

• Staff Assignments;
• Reminder for the 10th Civil Service Excellence and Innovation Awards, closing date of 14th February 2025;
• Preparation for next week’s North East Inner City (NEIC) TY Work Experience programme;
• Applications received for the 2025 SPS Strategic Leadership Programme.

——
Brian Keenan

Personnel Officer

Monday, 10th February 2025

Present: John Callinan, Dermot Woods, John Shaw, Elizabeth Canavan, Émer Deane, Mary Keenan, Padraig Ó Conaill, Brian Keenan.

Apologies: Helen Blake.

MAC discussed a number of issues, including;

• Recovery response to Storm Éowyn;
• EU and International matters, including the Taoiseach’s attendance in Brussels on Monday for meetings with European Council President, Antonio Costa, and European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, and planned attendance at Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris on Tuesday and Munich Security Conference on Friday/Saturday;
• Economic matters, including preparation for the Taoiseach and Tánaiste’s meeting with CEOs of Irish companies on Friday;
• Social Policy matters, including update on the establishment of Disability Unit.

MAC also discussed a number of staffing and related matters, including;

• Staff Assignments;
• North East Inner City (NEIC) TY Work Experience programme taking place in the Department this week;
• Internal competition for the position of Private Secretary to the Government Chief Whip;
• Upcoming internal Services Officer competition.

——
Brian Keenan

Personnel Officer

Monday, 17th February 2025

Present: John Callinan, Dermot Woods, Elizabeth Canavan, Émer Deane, Helen Blake, John Shaw, Mary Keenan, Padraig Ó Conaill, Brian Keenan.

MAC discussed a number of issues, including;

• Economic matters, including update from the Taoiseach’s meeting with CEOs of Irish companies on Friday and preparation for Monday’s Ministerial Meeting on Housing matters;
• EU and International matters, including update on the Taoiseach’s international engagements last week which included meetings with EU institution presidents in Brussels, AI Summit in Paris and the Munich Security Conference, and Taoiseach's meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at Government Buildings earlier that day;
• Update on Cabinet Committees and preparation for the Taoiseach’s Article 28 meeting with the President in Áras an Uachtaráin this week;
• Social Policy matters, including preparation for a Ministerial Meeting on Disability matters.

MAC also discussed a number of staffing and related matters, including;

• Staff Assignments;
• Competition for the position of Private Secretary to the Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence;
• PMDS (end of year reviews), due for completion in February;
• Upcoming Induction Event for Special Advisers.

——
Brian Keenan

Personnel Officer

Tuesday, 18th March 2025

Present: John Callinan, Dermot Woods, Elizabeth Canavan, Émer Deane, Helen Blake, John Shaw, Mary Keenan, Brian Keenan.

Apologies: Padraig Ó Conaill

MAC discussed a number of issues, including;

• The Taoiseach’s St. Patrick’s Day programme of engagements in the United States of America;
• EU and International matters, including preparation for the Taoiseach’s attendance at European Council this week;
• Social Policy matters, including preparation for Tuesday’s launch of the North East Inner City Initiative’s 2024 Progress Report and Strategic Plan 2024 - 2027 and preparation for Monday’s Cabinet Committee on Disability;
• British and Northern Ireland matters, including the inaugural UK-Ireland Summit held in Liverpool recently;
• Economic matters, including preparation for Monday’s Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure.

MAC also discussed a number of staffing and related matters, including;

• Staff Assignments;
• PMDS and LEADs end of year compliance and update on the Department’s Vote Position;
• Friday’s Fire Drill at Government Buildings with thanks to staff for their cooperation.

——
Brian Keenan

Personnel Officer

Monday, 24th March 2025

Present: John Callinan, Elizabeth Canavan, Émer Deane, Helen Blake, John Shaw, Mary Keenan, Padraig Ó Conaill, Brian Keenan.

Apologies: Dermot Woods.

MAC discussed a number of issues, including;

• EU and International matters, including update from the Taoiseach’s attendance at European Council last week;
• Economic matters, including preparation for Monday’s Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure;
• Social Policy matters, including preparation for Monday’s Cabinet Committee on Disability;
• British and Northern Ireland matters, including preparation for upcoming Shared Island Forum.

MAC also discussed a number of staffing and related matters, including;

• Staff Assignments;
• Departmental Council Meeting on Wednesday;
• Coffee Morning on Wednesday in aid of Irish Cancer Society Daffodil Day.

——
Brian Keenan

Personnel Officer