Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
331. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the reason there were no supervised tests in the internal higher executive competition 2020 held in his Department; and the way in which his Department can ensure that the person who was called to interview was the same person who did the unsupervised test. [8364/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraPromotion competitions within my Department are subject to the provisions of the Code of Practice for Appointment to Positions within the Civil Service and Public Service, issued by the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA). This requires that competitions run within the Civil Service are fair, transparent and merit-based selection process, in line with its principles and standards.
In January 2020 an internal competition for promotion to Higher Executive Officer was launched by my Department. Candidates were informed in advance that shortlisting would be required to provide a manageable number of candidates for final stage interview and on this occasion computer-based testing was utilised in order to shortlist. Such shortlisting and testing is a common feature of competitions run by the Public Appointments Service and across the Civil Service.
While a supervised recheck of computer-based results is a feature of some competitions, it is not necessarily used in all cases.
There is an expectation that officers of the Department act with utmost integrity at all times. Candidates agreed to complete the assessments themselves without any external assistance, and to participate in the assessment process honestly and fairly. They did so knowing that misrepresenting themselves or their skills could result in disqualification from the process and would be a serious disciplinary matter. Candidates would also have been aware that they may be subject to retesting under supervised conditions at a later stage in the process.
It is open to candidates dissatisfied with any element of a competition to ask for a review under the CPSA Code of Practice, within set timelines. The review process is clearly laid out in both the Code of Practice and in the Competition Booklet issued to candidates.
