Vol. 455 No. 2
56 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for Finance the plans, if any, he has to make policy changes with regard to the employment tenure of public service officials, particularly in relation to performance, in view of remarks regarding the performance of public service officials and in view of the recent retirement of Official A from the Office of the Attorney General; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10326/95]
The position regarding the tenure of civil servants is governed by the Civil Service Regulation Act, 1956. Established civil servants hold office at the will and pleasure of the Government which, in effect, means that a Government decision is required to dismiss an established civil servant. Unestablished civil servants may be dismissed by the "appropriate authority" who is usually the Minister in the Department in which the civil servant is serving. These provisions in no way preclude the dismissal of a civil servant for performance deficiences. The procedure is, however, cumbersome. All aspects of personnel practice in the Civil Service are currently under examination in the context of the strategic management initiative. I hope to be in a position to report on the outcome of these deliberations later in the year.
