Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 January 2014
259. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Civil Service Commission will consider applicants residing in the proximity of vacancies when recruiting for positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1518/14]
View answerSince 2004, recruitment to the civil service has taken place under the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004. This legislation abolished the Civil Service Commission and established a new body, the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA), which licences, regulates and audits recruitment processes. Processes are governed by the provisions of the Act as applied under Codes of Practice prescribed by the CPSA. The Codes of Practice provide for appointment in accordance with the principle of Merit:
"Appointment on merit means the appointment of the best person for any given post through a transparent, competitive recruitment process where the criteria for judging suitability of candidates can be related directly to the qualifications, attributes and skills required to fulfil the duties and responsibilities of the post."
The Codes of Practice also require that processes are open to all eligible applicants. Typically this means that applicants from anywhere within the European Economic Area are entitled to apply where they meet minimum entry criteria. Under such an open and merit based appointments protocol, it is not possible to factor residential location into the selection process.
The 2004 Act also established a central agency, the Public Appointments Service (PAS), to handle recruitment on a shared service basis, although departments/offices are entitled to secure a licence in their own right. The Deputy may wish to note that in running large scale recruitment PAS may be in a position to take some account of proximity to residence in placing successful candidates from the order of merit. On occasion, this may involve the establishment of regional panels.
