Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 September 2021
20. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he is satisfied with the process of Government appointments in light of the recently aborted appointment of a former Minister to a UN position; and his views on whether the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointment) Act 2004 needs to be amended in this regard. [45415/21]
View answer28. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he is satisfied with the process of Government appointments in view of recent events; and his views on whether the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointment) Act 2004 needs to be amended in this regard. [45587/21]
View answer75. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his views on whether the Top Level Appointments Committee should have a role in the recruitment of special envoys to ensure that the full details of any future appointments to be shared in advance and adequately considered in a proper way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45500/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 20, 28 and 75 together.
The Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 sets out procedures relating to the recruitment and appointments for the civil service and certain other bodies in the public service.
However as Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform, I have responsibility under these acts for recruitment to the Civil Service only as set out by Section 58(1)(a) of the 2004 Act.
As the Deputy will be aware, all general appointments to the civil service are by way of open competition, and the Public Appointments Service (PAS), which operates under licence from the Commission for Public Service Appointments, is the principal recruiter for the civil service.
PAS continues to apply the standards of probity, merit, equity and fairness, consistent with the codes of practice set down by the Commission. The codes of practice are followed by PAS in the public interest, for the recruitment, assessment and selection of persons for appointments in the Civil Service and other public service bodies, as was set out in Section 34 (1) (b) of the 2004 Act.
Appointments to positions of Assistant Secretary General and higher in the civil service are generally undertaken by the Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) with the assistance of the Public Appointments Service (PAS). The Government is again committed to ensuring a policy of open recruitment and the role of TLAC, as an independent body, is to support that and ensure that the recruitment and selection process for senior Civil Service posts is accessible to the widest pool of qualified candidates.
TLAC also operates under the Code of Practice issued by the Commission for Public Service Appointments in accordance with the principles of merit, consistency, accountability, probity, best practice and professional confidentiality.
My department has also taken a leadership role on appointments to State Boards. The Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards, 2014 provides a framework for appointments to the boards of State Bodies. The guidelines help provide for a more robust and transparent process and assist in both the good governance of state bodies, and, together with other relevant policies such as the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, also help in driving progress towards wider Government goals. These guidelines and the Code of Practice, are kept under ongoing review.
Finally, I understand that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has asked his department to undertake a review of the role and appointment of special envoys. The terms of reference are currently being drafted and it is anticipated that the review will be completed by mid-October 2021. The members of the review committee will include senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the CEO of PAS and a management consultant who was formerly a Chair of TLAC. The review will look at the role and appointment of special envoys internationally; the role, status and work of special envoys appointed by Ireland to date; terms and conditions and value for money of special envoys appointed by Ireland; examine best practice in public appointments procedures in Ireland; consult with stakeholders in Ireland, the EU and other countries; and make recommendations on an appropriate model for the future appointment of special envoys in Ireland based on a transparent and competitive process.
