Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 28 Mar 1995

Vol. 451 No. 2

Written Answers. - Executive Officer Vacancies.

Noel Ahern

Ceist:

50 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Finance the selection procedure for the positions of executive officer currently at interview stage; the number the interview process has reached; the number selected; if points from the examination stage are carried forward to interview stage; if applicants are called for interview in batches according to their points total; if the interviewers have a quota of successful positions for each batch interviewed; can the breakdown of successful applicants be given for those originally placed 1 to 50, 51 to 100, 101 to 150, 151 to 200, 201 to 250 and other placings. [6408/95]

Minister for Finance (Mr. Quinn)

I am informed by the Civil Service Commissioners that the procedures for selecting executive officers for the Civil Service from the current open competition involve written tests, held in March-April 1994, and an interview.

The candidates who achieved the highest marks in the written tests are invited to attend for interview.

The number invited to interview is determined by the commissioners from time to time having regard to the number of vacancies to be filled.

To date the top 248 candidates in the written test have been called for interview, 192 of whom attended, and 123 of these reached the required standard. To date 99 of these have been offered an appointment.

No credit points are carried forward to interview from the written tests.

Interview boards are not bound by any quota of positions. All candidates who reach the required standard are placed in order of merit by reference to their performance at the interview.

It has never been the commissioners' policy to give information in relation to individual candidates as all applications are confidential and, accordingly, the breakdown sought is not available.