Questions to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (Mr. Brendan Howlin, TD)
To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide an update on the recruitment process for clerical officers to the civil service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. – Jerry Buttimer
To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide an update on an application for a clerical position in the civil and public service, in respect of a person in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. – Jerry Buttimer
For WRITTEN ANSWERS on Tuesday, 31 March 2015
REPLY
The Public Appointments Service (PAS) is an independent, statutory body which provides professional recruitment and selection services to the civil and public Service. PAS advertised a recruitment competition for clerical positions in the civil and public service in June 2014 which attracted over 28,000 applications. This competition was launched in order to create panels of qualified individuals from which departments and public service bodies may draw when filling sanctioned vacancies.
The first stage of the selection process comprised tests and assessments to which candidates were invited to complete online. Those who reached the qualifying standard were ranked for each of their selected regions.
Candidates who had chosen regions for which vacancies have been notified to PAS and who were placed highest at the first stage are then called to supervised testing. Based on the results of these supervised tests, candidates who reach the qualifying standard and who are placed highest are invited to interview. Depending on the outcome of this interview and their position on the order of merit candidates may be considered for appointment to a vacancy.
To date clerical panels have been created for Dublin and Limerick/ Tipperary. Other panels in train are for Cork, Donegal, Kerry, Waterford/Wexford and Kildare/Wicklow. Panels for other locations will be created by PAS as and when required by employing Departments and bodies.
The Deputy may wish to note, that to date, more than 600 assignments of clerical officers have been made across the civil and public service.
The Public Appointments Service is the independent, centralised recruitment agency for the civil and public service. As the Public Appointments Service can only discuss the progress of an application with the individual concerned, I have requested that PAS communicate directly with the candidate in this instance.