Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 April 2024
637. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a timeline is set for the process to recruit a Chief Executive Officer to Cork County Council; the term of the contract for the new CEO; and, if applicable, the number of candidates who have so far expressed an interest in the role. [14288/24]
View answerThe Public Appointments Service (PAS) manages recruitment competitions for local authority Chief Executives and is independent in the performance of its functions.
Following the completion of the PAS process, the appointment process of a Chief Executive is governed by S.I. No. 589/2014 - Local Government (Appointment of Chief Executive) Regulations 2014. (irishstatutebook.ie). Beyond legislating for this process, I have no role in respect of the appointment of individual Chief Executives, which is a matter for the elected Council. This statutory instrument dictates that once a recommendation has been put forward by PAS, the Corporate Policy Group of the Council must meet within 5 working days of receipt of this recommendation to establish the views of the group in relation to the proposed appointment. Immediately following this meeting, the Cathaoirleach shall convey in writing the views of the group in relation to the recommendation to the elected Council for consideration. Within 10 working days of the receipt of the views of the Corporate Policy Group, the elected Council of the local authority must meet to consider the recommendation.
Following this consideration, the elected Council shall decide –
a) to appoint the recommended person as Chief Executive,
b) not to appoint the recommended person as Chief Executive, or
c) to seek additional information from PAS in relation to the recommendation.
The process for considering additional information and for conveying the final decision to appoint or not to appoint is set out in the statutory instrument.
The tenure of a local authority Chief Executive is governed by section 147 of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, and associated Orders and Regulations. The person appointed will hold office for 7 years, or until aged 70, whichever is the earlier. There is provision to extend the tenure by 3 years subject to the age limit of 70 years not being exceeded. The maximum tenure period(s) for a Chief Executive may not exceed 10 years in the same Local Authority.
