It is a measure of the considerable strain between the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, and his secretary general, Mr Paddy MacKernan, that answers to questions from The Irish Times had to be cleared separately by the two men.

Reading between the lines of the page-long reply, it is clear that Mr Andrews makes the valid case that he is empowered by Section 7 of the Public Service Management Act, 1997, to make directions on promotions. But the Department insists that the "custom" is that recommendations from the Management Advisory Committee (MAC) are passed on to the Minister by the secretary general.

Informed Departmental and diplomatic sources told The Irish Times that a Minister has never issued a directive on a promotion over the past 20 years. They had no recollection of a direction ever being made on such a matter.

The Department's press office was asked how many appointments were made which were not in line with the recommendations of the MAC. During this year, according to a statement yesterday, the secretary general had recommended the promotion of six persons to counsellor and three persons to assistant secretary.

"The Minister has accepted all six recommendations on promotion to counsellor. He also directed that two other first secretaries be promoted to counsellor. The Minister accepted two of the three recommendations for promotion to assistant secretary and directed that another counsellor be promoted to assistant secretary," it said.

The statement continued: "These promotions to counsellor and to assistant secretary were decided by the Minister in accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Management Act, 1997, following recommendations by the secretary general. In the Department of Foreign Affairs the custom is that these recommendations follow from discussions in the Management Advisory Committee, whose function inter alia is to advise the secretary general in these matters."

Four of the promotions to counsellor, it added, arose from the decision of the Minister to upgrade our representation in the United States to meet increasing demands resulting from the Northern Ireland peace process and from Ireland's economic profile in the United States.

Another two arose from the decision taken in the light of the Belfast Agreement to open up consulates in Edinburgh and Cardiff. These openings had led to improved career opportunities for the staff of the Department.

The press office responded that there had been "no change in policy" on appointments or promotions. Since the coming into effect of the Public Service Management Act, 1997, all promotions were decided in the context of the Act.

Later asked why he had broken with precedent to make written directions on promotions, a spokesman for Mr Andrews said that, prior to 1997, a Minister could promote and did not have to put anything in writing. The Minister had not created any precedent.

Mr MacKernan was not available for comment yesterday.