The Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) is an independent body established under the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 whose functions include establishing standards for the recruitment and selection of persons for positions in the Civil Service and other public service bodies. The CPSA is obliged to report to the Houses of the Oireachtas annually on the performance of its functions.
While the secretariat of the CPSA is accommodated within the Office of the Ombudsman, it is a separate legal entity and as such is not subject to the same appeals process as that Office.
Section 13 of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 Act requires the CPSA to set out appropriate appeal procedures to allow it to consider and decide issues in relation to the manner in which certain public bodies manage their appointment processes. In this regard the CPSA has published review procedures to address candidates' requests for review of complaints in relation to appointment processes. These appeal procedures, based on the principles of openness and transparency, are set out in the Commission's Codes of Practice for appointment to positions under its remit and can be viewed on the Commission's web site (see http://www.cpsa.ie/en/Codes-of-Practice/ ).
In accordance with the review procedures under the Codes candidates who are unhappy with the outcome of a review by an Office Holder may appeal the decision to the Commission for consideration. While the Codes of Practice provide that decisions of the CPSA are final, in the event that a complainant disputes the factual basis for that decision, the CPSA may review its original findings.
