Oonagh McPhillips

The Secretary General position in the Department of Justice is held by Oonagh McPhillips. The Secretary General is the senior civil servant and non-political head of the Department. The Secretary General's job is day-to-day management and non-political strategic planning and direction.

Oonagh is a Designated Public Official under the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 : see www.lobbying.ie

Under the Public Service Management Act 1997 (No.27 of 1977), the Secretary General of the Department has the following responsibilities:

• managing the business generally of the Department;
• implementing Government policies appropriate to the Department;
• monitoring Government policies that affect the Department;
• delivering outputs as determined by the Minister;
• providing policy advice to the Minister on all matters within the remit of the Department;
• preparing Statements of Strategy for submission to the Minister;
• providing progress reports to the Minister on the implementation of the Statement of Strategy;
• ensuring proper use of resources and the provision of cost-effective public services;
• preparing an outline of how specific responsibilities are to be assigned to other officers down through the Department;
• managing matters relating to appointments, performance, discipline and dismissal of civil servants below the grade of Principal or its equivalent.

Section 4(1) of the Public Service Management Act empowers the Secretary General to assign to other officers of the Department (or grade or grades of officer) responsibility for the performance of his or her functions.

Interpretation of the framework of assignments should have due regard to the factors which from time to time affect the distribution and discharge of responsibilities across the Department, such as the exigencies of work in a particular area, the alignment of activities spanning or involving more than one area, and the co-ordination of shared or contiguous responsibilities. It should also have regard to the assignment of functions in respect of appointments, performance and discipline of personnel under the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956-2005 which are made from time to time by the Secretary General under separate regulations.

The responsibilities so assigned shall be articulated through the Department’s system of functional business plans to reflect the priorities and objectives of the Department, as set out in its Statement of Strategy. The assignment of responsibility for the performance of functions by individual officers, or grade or grades of officer, below Principal level shall be handled administratively on the basis of the personal (or team) work objectives identified under or associated with the Department’s functional business plans. The latter, which are rolled over on an annual basis to keep pace with changing needs and priorities, are informed both by the Department’s Statement of Strategy and by its Performance Management and Development System and provide a practical means of prioritising and managing the day-to-day work of the Department at section, team and individual level.

Subject to overarching budgetary provisions, officers to whom responsibilities have been assigned under this framework will receive the appropriate resources and infrastructural support to enable them to fulfil their obligations under the Act.

Assignments under Section 4(1) of the Public Service Management Act will continue to be amended from time to time, in writing, and the framework will be deemed to have been updated accordingly.

Working for a safe, fair, inclusive Ireland

Our values and commitments are:

• Collaborative - we will work together with others in trust and partnership
• Professional - we will be impartial, accountable and ethical.
• Open - we will be responsive and informative, communicating to make meaningful connections

Our goals are:

• Tackle crime, enhance national security and transform policing
• Improve access to justice and modernise the courts system
• Strengthen community safety, reduce reoffending, support victims and combat domestic, sexual and gender based violence
• Deliver a fair immigration system for a digital age
• Accelerate innovation, digital transformation and climate action across the justice

Further information is available at Item was unpublished or removed