asked the Minister for Finance whether the ban on promotions from the clerical grades to the executive grade of the Civil Service is in operation on the grounds that there are no vacancies for promotees; and, if so, why the policy of recruitment to the executive grade by open examination is being continued.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Promotion from Clerical Grades.
Under normal conditions, the recruitment of persons to fill vacancies in the junior executive grade would proceed partly by open competitive examination and partly by promotion from the clerical grade. Of the 267 vacancies that have arisen in the executive grade since the change of Government, about 200, which occurred before the ban on promotion was imposed, were filled by promotion from the clerical grades. As a result, the junior executive grade, which now numbers about 460, contains only 61 persons admitted by means of open competitive examination. There is, therefore, an abnormally small proportion of this latter element in the grade and, consequently, it is the intention to continue for some time longer to recruit persons by open competitive examination for any vacancies available.
Mr. Byrne
Can the Minister say if any schemes are under consideration to enable promotions to be made from writing assistants to clerical officers and can the Minister say if any provision is being made in that scheme for the promotion of shorthand-typists and typists generally to clerical officers and will preference be given to this particular class over writing assistants in view of the fact that they have received a secondary education while writing assistants, in the main, have only received a primary education?
I think that does not arise out of the question on the paper and I would ask for notice.
Will the Minister consider the advisability of leaving this competitive examination open to clerical officers and extending the age limit accordingly in order to allow clerical officers to sit for these examinations?
I would not contemplate making any change in the ages. I would like to say that, in addition to the promotions which I have indicated as having been made from the clerical grade to the junior executive grade, since the change of Government about 100 clerical officers have been promoted to minor staff posts which are intermediate in value between the clerical grade and the junior executive grade, and in some cases the promotions mean even a greater jump; that, furthermore, 53 clerical officers have been promoted to be officers of the Customs and Excise, which is equivalent to the junior executive grade, so that there has been a great volume of promotions from the clerical grade since the change of Government.