An acting director general has been appointed to the Workplace Relations Commission following the departure of Oonagh Buckley to become deputy secretary general at the Department of Justice.

Simultaneously, the key legal role at the WRC, that of registrar, is still being decided after the application deadline last month.

The registrar provides legal services and advice to ensure legally robust procedures and systems are in place. The successful applicant will have at least seven years’ experience as a solicitor or barrister.

Confirmed

The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation has confirmed the appointment of Liam Kelly, formerly chief operations officer at the WRC.

Buckley was the first full director at the WRC, taking over in summer 2016 from Kieran Mulvey who held the position on an interim basis, following the establishment of the WRC in October 2015.

An open competition for the final appointment will be run shortly, the Public Appointments Service has confirmed. No more than three candidates can be recommended for a list of potential appointees to the job, under the 2015 Workplace Relations Act.

The appointment lasts for five years but can be repeated for a further five.