asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the posts on the European Commission allocated to Irish nationals will be filled by open competition; if so, when he expects the competition will be held; by whom the selection will be made; and the criteria of eligibility which will be applied.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - European Commission Posts.
8.
The question of recruitment for posts in the Commission is one for the Commission. It is understood that, in general, the posts open to Irish citizens will be filled by open competition. However, certain of the most senior posts will be filled by selection from among persons recommended by the Government to the Commission.
The date of any competition to be held by the Commission and the criteria to be applied are matters for them.
Can the Minister give any indication if the panel of senior personnel both within and outside the public service is to be drawn up by the Government?
This depends on meetings which are to be held in Brussels on 8th June between an Irish delegation and the Commission. On the following day there will be a multilateral meeting between the member countries and the proposed accession countries with a view to working out the arrangements.
Can the Minister state if it is intended to hold an open competition with a view to filling places on the Government's panel? Can he give an assurance that the senior posts will not be restricted to members of the Civil Service or members of semi-State bodies?
The Deputy has that assurance. This is envisaged by the Commission and is the practice in existing member countries.
The Minister agreed last week that these senior posts would include persons from outside the public service and, if necessary, outside the State-sponsored bodies. There is an extremely difficult situation facing persons in private employment, unless they go in person to a Minister and tell him they would like a job in Brussels, telling him they are earning £8,000, £10,000 or £15,000 in private industry, but that they would like to assist the country by making themselves available to the panel for senior appointments. Surely a public announcement should be made that such people who want to offer their services should be able to do so by writing to the Minister for Foreign Affairs rather than having the Cabinet select such people?
That could be done. However, I should like to inform the House that all the details regarding recruitment will have to be worked out at the meetings on 8th and 9th June. We will want to get the drill right vis-á-vis the other countries who will be doing the same thing. This matter should be sorted out in the next two or three weeks.
9.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if any meetings have taken place to date in relation to the grades, numbers and areas of responsibility of Irish employees of the European Commission; if so, when they were held; and by whom Ireland and the other countries were represented.
A meeting of a very general nature to discuss the recruitment of Irish nationals for positions in the Commission was held on 10th March last. The Commission was represented by a Commissioner and senior officials and the Irish side was represented by senior civil servants of the Departments of Finance and Foreign Affairs.
Can the Minister give an indication of the outcome of that meeting?
The outcome was to make the arrangements for the meetings I referred to on the previous question. There was a meeting of minds, as it were, on that occasion and it was decided to have a final meeting bilaterally between ourselves and the Commission on 8th June and, multilaterally, with all the other countries concerned on 9th June. I cannot say at this stage what was discussed at the first meeting because it was of a confidential nature. The next meeting will show the results in the form of decisions being taken by us in regard to how we advertise the number of posts, the nature of the posts and so on. All that will flow from the meetings to be held on 8th and 9th June.