Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 December 2021
223. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of executive officer vacancies filled by Irish language candidates during 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021 in counties Donegal and Sligo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60534/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Public Appointments Service (PAS) is the independent recruiter for appointments to the civil service. PAS undertakes competitions on behalf of the civil service to establish panels that may be drawn upon as vacancies arise in Government Departments or Offices.
PAS has advised that no candidates were assigned from the Executive Officer with Irish panels to locations in Donegal or Sligo during the period in question. All recruitment is demand-led. Vacancies may not arise in all regions during the lifetime of a panel established from a competition. The placement of a candidate on a competition panel is no guarantee of appointment.
In October, I extended the expiry date of the current panels from the 2019 Executive Officer with Irish competitions to 31 December 2021. A new Irish Executive Officer competition will be advertised by PAS in January 2022 from which all future assignments will be made.
The Deputy will be aware that the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill, currently before the Houses of the Oireachtas, proposes a 20% Irish language fluency target for all new hires to the public service by 2030 in line with Programme for Government commitments. The implementation of the Government’s Rural Development Strategy “Our Rural Future” that was launched in March by the Minister for Community and Rural Development, may also provide enhanced opportunities for Irish-speaking roles in the public service in the years ahead.
