Principal Officer, Planning/Legislation/ FOI

Planning Secretariat: Provide a support service to the Minister in relation to Government and Houses of the Oireachtas business; provide an effective Library Service to meet the needs of the staff of the Department.

Legislation Unit: Manage the legislative process for the Department in relation to Social Welfare and other legislation under its remit. Enhance accessibility of Social Welfare legislation by continuing programme of legislative consolidation.

Legal Services: Provide advice on the interpretation of existing Social Welfare legislation; on current legal issues; and on litigation involving the Department, including liaising with the Offices of the Attorney General and Chief State Solicitor in relation to the seeking of advice and the conduct of litigation. Promote correct procedures in submitting requests for advice to the Office of the Attorney General and seek that Office's advice on major or novel Constitutional issues, matters of legal policy or significant EU, cross-cutting or specialist legal issues. Provide legal advice on issues which have been identified by individual policy areas as requiring a legal opinion.

Freedom of Information: Provides guidance on FOI requests, co-ordinates action on the implementation of the FOI Acts throughout the Department and provides advice to FOI officers throughout the Department. It also co-ordinates responses to Subject Access Requests under the GDPR.