Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 2 Feb 1999

Vol. 499 No. 3

Written Answers - Public Service Recruitment.

Ivan Yates

Question:

251 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Health and Children the educational qualification criteria for recruitment in the public service, including health boards and hospitals, for clerical officer positions, including temporary grades; whether the United Kingdom equivalent qualification for secretarial studies will be accepted in order that a person (details supplied) in County Wexford, who is carrying out secretarial and administrative duties effectively, can be retained in the employment of a South-Eastern Health Board hospital; if he will give this matter urgent attention in view of the fact that she will lose her job if such clarification is not forthcoming; and if he will ensure that she can be retained in view of the fact that she could not have sat the leaving certificate examinations as she was not then resident in this country and, at the time of her recruitment into her current employment, this matter was unclear. [2731/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen):

My remit in relation to establishing qualifications for appointment to clerical officer posts is limited to the public health service. The educational qualifications for appointment to the clerical officer grade within the health service are as follows: a minimum of grade D or a pass, in higher or ordinary level, in five subjects from the approved list of subjects in the Department of Education and Science established leaving certificate examination or leaving certificate vocational programme or have passed an examination of at least equivalent standard. Five GCE ‘O' levels are deemed to be the equivalent of five grade Ds in the Irish leaving certificate ordinary level examination. It is understood that the individual concerned has two GCE ‘O' levels in Maths and English. She has R.S.A. III English and R.S.A. certificates in typing and shorthand, English, Arithmetic and Art. I can confirm that these qualifications are not deemed to be equivalent.