Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
209. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to detail in tabular form the number of formal reviews on PAS competition decisions, and the number that were overturned, in each of the years 2021, 2022 and to 12 September 2023; the five main reasons listed for overturning on formal review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40165/23]
View answerI am informed by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) that the number of formal reviews on PAS competition decisions and the number overturned across the period requested by the Deputy are as per the table below.
|
Year |
Reviews Completed |
Decisions Overturned |
|
2021 |
286 |
18 |
|
2022 |
315 |
33 |
|
2023 until 12th September |
141 |
19 |
As part of a Formal Review, each case is considered on its own merits. Therefore, there may be a number of factors considered by a Formal Reviewer when overturning a decision in a specific case, some of which may apply to other reviews and some may be very specific to that particular case. The top five reasons for overturned decisions are as follows:
1. 23 Shortlisting decisions were overturned based on a re-evaluation of the evidence provided either on the Application Form or as part of a Video Shortlisting Exercise. PAS received 162 requests for formal review of a Shortlisting or Video Shortlisting decision during this timeframe.
2. 11 Decisions in relation to eligibility for a competition on the basis of qualifications achieved were overturned. These decisions were overturned for several reasons, including the candidate providing more detailed information on their qualifications during the review process and/or a re-evaluation of the qualifications submitted by the candidate during the review process.
3. 7 Decisions were overturned based on a re-evaluation of the evidence provided at Interview by the Assessment Board and because of process errors which negatively impacted on a candidate’s ability to be fairly and reasonably assessed, respectively. The most common outcome for candidates in these cases was for PAS to offer a second assessment.
4. 5 Decisions were overturned where a candidate had been deemed ineligible for a competition in the first instance; however, a fresh evaluation of the information provided (or upon receipt of further clarifying information from the candidate) indicated the candidate was eligible.
