Mr Tom Considine (57) has been appointed Secretary General of the Department of Finance, de facto head of the civil service. A consummate Department of Finance insider, Mr Considine succeeds Mr John Hurley in the post, which pays around €184,000 (£144,881) a year. He will take over formally on March 11th when Mr Hurley beats a well-worn path to the office of governor of the Central Bank of Ireland.

Mr Considine will assume the reins at the Department when it attempts to trim back burgeoning Government spending as the economy enters a period of subdued growth. One of his first jobs will be to help the various political parties with the costing of their election manifestos, which is done by the Department on a confidential basis.

The Department of Finance secretary generalship is one of a handful of top civil service appointments that are entirely at the discretion of the relevant minister and the Cabinet. Most other posts have to be filled in conjunction with the Top Level Appointments Commission.

Originally from Co Clare, Mr Considine has held a series of senior posts in the Department of Finance. He has been the Secretary General Public Service Management and Development at the Department since 2000.

He was previously an assistant secretary in the Public Expenditure Division and the Banking, Finance and International Division where he was involved in the Economic and Monetary Union negotiations.

He is also a chartered certified accountant.