asked the Minister for Finance if he will state the age limits prescribed for the entry of officers into the Civil Service, also the prescribed retiring ages for all such officers; whether there are any officers still serving who have passed the prescribed retiring age for their grade; if so, the number of such officers; and if he will, henceforth, insist on the retirement of all officers immediately they reach the prescribed retiring age, so as to provide opportunities for younger civil servants to earn promotion.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Civil Service Age Limits.
I assume that the question refers to officers of established grades. The age limits for entry to the general service basic grades are announced publicly early in each year by the Civil Service Commissioners and are as follows: Junior administrative officer, 21 to 26 years; junior executive officer, 18 to 20 years; clerical officer and writing assistant, 16½ to 18½ years; shorthand-typist and typist, 18 to 25 years.
The age limits for entry to the professional and technical classes are determined by the requirements of the post to be filled and the field of recruitment. The normal retiring age for established civil servants is 65 years of age but officers may be required to retire at any time after the age of 60. There are 55 officers at present serving who have passed the normal retiring age; 23 of these belong to the various general service grades. In regard to the final portion of the question, officers were retained during the emergency to a greater extent than would normally have been the case owing to the urgent need for trained staff for new and expanding services. This necessity has gradually become less acute and at the end of 1945 steps were taken to restore the usual practice of requiring retirement at the age of 65. In the application of this rule there always have been some exceptions because of special circumstances related to the public interest and/or hardship. There does not appear to be any adequate reason for departing from a practice which has worked satisfactorily in the past.
In view of the fact that such a large number of civil servants as the Minister has outlined are employed in the Service, who are over the retiring age, would he not consider it a wise step, seeing that we have reached the closing stage of the emergency, to request these gentlemen to retire, in order to make way for young married civil servants who would fill their places and give as good if not greater satisfaction? I think younger civil servants would give better service than older officials who are beyond their work. Will the Minister request these officials to resign?
I am altogether in favour of enforcing the age limit, except in cases where the public interest is better served by retaining the services of the officials in question, or where there is grave hardship involved.
Is the Minister satisfied that there are very special circumstances in the 55 cases to which he has referred?
These are mostly officials who got an additional year during the emergency and there will be a big alteration in that list before 1st July next.
I am glad to hear that.
Is it not true that the bulk of these gentlemen who received an extra year accepted the extra year at the urgent representations of the Government, who begged them to remain on to assist in the onerous tasks which remain to be done and which required their experienced assistance to get done efficiently?
That is true.