Seán Haughey
Question:233 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Finance the procedures in place for the recruitment of all types of staff to the Civil Service on a temporary or permanent basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11545/03]
Written Answers. - Departmental Staffing.
Recruitment to permanent positions in the Civil Service is carried out by the Civil Service Commissioners, who are bound by law – the Civil Service Commissioners Act 1956 – to recruit by fair, open and merit-based means to various levels in the Civil Service.
The Civil Service Commissioners are involved in recruitment to a range of positions in the Civil Service. Recruitment is by way of open competition. All competitions held by the commissioners are advertised in one or more of the national papers and on their website at: www.publicjobs.ie. Application forms, together with all relevant details, are only available when competitions are announced. However, potential candidates can register their interest in a position on the Civil Service Commission website and will then automatically be notified by email when the competition is announced.
Recruitment to posts within the service is on the basis of qualifications and the ability to carry out the responsibilities of the grade or post. Anyone can apply for a position in the Civil Service but candidates must fulfil the eligibility requirements-criteria of the grade or post being filled. These requirements are set out in the relevant statutory competition regulations.
From time to time, individual Departments approach the commissioners to seek an excluding order, under section 5 of the Act, removing a particular post from the scope of the Act so that a temporary appointment can be made. An example of this would be for staff to cover peak periods such as in the Passport Office or examinations section of the Department of Education and Science, or for work on the census.