Vol. 408 No. 8
55 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance whether the public service have a rule whereby persons taking up employment after the age of 26 cannot be made permanent; whether this operates in a discriminatory manner against women seeking to return to work; and if this is consistent with the Government's stated policy of encouraging job mobility.
My responsibility for the recruitment of staff is limited to the Civil Service and does not include recruitment to the rest of the public service. As far as the Civil Service is concerned there is no prohibition on recruits over the age of 26 being made permanent. At recent open competitions held by the Civil Service Commissioners the upper age limits have been increased to 50, in most cases.
