The dispute over a house manager employed at the Irish Embassy in Paris took a fresh twist yesterday with a claim by the Department of Foreign Affairs that the media was receiving "distorted" briefings on the matter as "part of a campaign for compensation".
This domestic diplomatic episode began when the outgoing Ambassador to France, Pádraic MacKernan, declined to terminate the contract of Filipino house manager Eduardo Ramos, who has worked in various Irish embassies over a 17-year period.
The department and incoming Ambassador Anne Anderson are insisting that Mr Ramos's employment should be terminated now that Mr MacKernan is leaving Paris.
Mr Ramos would also lose his accommodation in the embassy, where he lives with his wife and daughter.
The hastily issued statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs came after an emotional interview given by Mr Ramos to RTÉ's Morning Ireland yesterday where he said: "It is difficult for me, because we have a baby.
"And then it's difficult as well because we don't know where to go. It's really difficult to find an apartment here in Paris."
The department said it "regrets the distorted manner in which the media has been briefed on this matter".
Housekeeping staff in embassy residences were "personal employees of the incumbent ambassador", the statement added.
"The department's rules are quite explicit on this point and reflect international practice. The rules are long established and have been consistently implemented, including during Pádraic MacKernan's recent term as secretary general."
The statement said that as the incoming envoy, "Ambassador Anderson wishes to have the opportunity to exercise her personal discretion in making an appointment to this sensitive domestic post.
"A number of considerations are relevant in making this choice, including professional qualifications.
"In a private letter to Ambassador MacKernan, Ambassador Anderson also explained that in her personal circumstances and given the nature of some of the housekeeping tasks involved, she would have a preference for a female employee in this role."
In addition, Ms Anderson had, "suggested that Ambassador MacKernan might give Mr Ramos a 3½-month period of notice rather than the one month specified in his contract".
The department said it "cannot accept that media briefing should become part of a campaign for compensation" and would "respond as appropriate to the legal action which has been initiated on behalf of Mr Ramos".