Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
437. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the mechanisms available to the public where they are of the opinion that the Public Appointments Service have not complied with statutory regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16636/23]
View answerI am informed by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) that recruitment to the civil service and a range of other public bodies operates under the provisions of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Acts, 2004 to 2013. PAS operates under licence from the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) and is independent in its operations. In carrying out its recruitment and selection processes, it complies with the Codes of Practice published by the CPSA, which ensure that fair and open processes are in place. Where the Codes do not apply, it adheres to the same core principles in carrying out its functions.
The CPSA, established under the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004, is the principal regulator of recruitment and selection processes within the public service. It has a statutory role to ensure that appointments in the organisations subject to its remit (that is, those that fall under the authority and scope of the Commission) are made on candidates’ merit and as the result of fair and transparent appointment processes.
Its primary role is to ensure probity and fairness are at the heart of public service recruitment. While the CPSA can deal with complaints from candidates about selection processes they have participated in, it does not undertake recruitment itself and therefore has no direct responsibility for the operation of any particular recruitment process, including the timeliness of any such process.
PAS has established an internal Compliance Unit (independent of the recruitment and selection processes) with responsibility for carrying out reviews and examining complaints under Section 7 and 8 of the CPSA Code of Practice and apply similar standards for reviews of processes where the Codes do not apply. Where someone is still unhappy with their response to a complaint, they can take the matter to the CPSA under the Section 8 Complaints Process as outlined in the CPSA Code of Practice.
Where a member of the public believes PAS has breached non-recruitment related statutory regulations, the complaint can be made to the CEO of PAS, the Chairman of the Board of PAS or to the Department for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform.
