asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction among candidates with the procedure followed by the Civil Service Commissioners in filling the post of chief medical officer to the Civil Service; if he will state whether the person now appointed was one of the 19 candidates originally rejected; and if in view of the exceptional circumstances of this case he will make a full statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Appointment of Civil Service Chief Medical Officer.
As regards the first part of the question the answer is in the negative. The procedure followed in the filling of this post was the same as that adopted in the filling of professional posts generally.
As regards the second part of the question, I understand from the Civil Service Commissioners that as no appointment was made as a result of the competition held in January of this year it would be contrary to long standing practice for them to indicate who were or were not candidates at that competition.
I do not accept the Deputy's suggestion that there was anything exceptional about the circumstances of this case and I do not propose, therefore, to make any statement in the matter.