The terms and conditions under which staff from the Employment and Community Services Divisions of FÁS transferred to my department were subject to lengthy negotiations with the unions and also involved the assistance of the Labour Court. On transfer, all of the staff in question were designated as established civil servants and they have the same promotion opportunities as existing departmental staff.
Since my previous reply to the Deputy's PQ No. 109 of 22 January 2014 (2975/14), new arrangements concerning promotion eligibility criteria have been implemented. Competitions for promotion outline both the relevant job specification and person specifications expected of the grade in question. Subject to having two years satisfactory service, any member of staff, regardless of their current grade, is entitled to participate in these competitions.