Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 October 2016
41. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the contacts between his office and a person (details supplied); the inquiries he has made on foot of the person's complaint; the actions which were taken by the Commission for Public Service Appointments to investigate the complaint; his views on each of the individual claims submitted by the person; and his proposals to address the concerns raised by the person. [29928/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) is an independent statutory body. It is responsible for overseeing appointments to a wide range of positions in the Civil and Public Service. In carrying out its oversight role, it audits recruitment processes and examines complaints from individuals unhappy with the conduct of an appointment process. The CPSA may make recommendations, offer advice or give instructions to recruiting bodies within its remit. However, it does not have the statutory authority to reverse a recruitment decision taken by one of those recruiting bodies.
As it is an independent statutory body, my Department has no involvement in the examination of complaints made to the CPSA.
However I am advised that the person for whom the details have been provided did make a complaint to the CPSA in 2015 and, following its examination of the matters complained about, the CPSA issued a report on the matter to the individual and to the recruiting body concerned. I am also informed that the complaint was partially upheld and that the CPSA recommended to the recruiting body that it review its process with a view to ensuring that candidates are assessed in a more consistent manner.
The complaint has been fully and properly addressed.
