Length of service still used for promotions
Brendan Howlin, the public expenditure and reform minister is, however, supportive of initiatives that will open up promotions to a wider range of candidates.
A report by the Commission for Public Service Appointments found “overly restrictive eligibility and selection criteria” for many public sector jobs which did not reflect the duties and responsibilities of the role.
This, it said, meant many people with the appropriate qualifications and skills were excluded from applying, and ultimately the public lost out.
“The public interest would be better served by permitting applications from a broader base,” the report said.
After carrying out a number of audits of recruitment procedures, the group discovered: “In making promotions, some public service bodies still give recognition to a candidate’s length of service without an objective or critical evaluation of the relevant skills, attributes and knowledge gained in attaining that service.”
The five-member committee includes the ceann comhairle Sean Barrett, ombudsman Emily O’Reilly, and chairman of the Standards in Public office Commission Mr Justice Matthew Smith.
The group wrote to Mr Howlin who, in his response, indicated he is “supportive of initiatives that will lead to the opening up of promotion competitions and the removal of barriers to eligibility”.
The report said the minister told them this would be done “in line with the Croke Park Agreement that includes a commitment to review and revise eligibility requirements to support cross stream opportunities”.
The commission also recommended that the Attorney General’s office permit solicitors apply for advisory counsel posts that have so far been confined to barristers.
It followed a complaint from the Law Society which said confining the positions to barristers was unnecessary and against the public interest.
The commission received a total of 19 complaints last year, a figure it said is “relatively low” and reflects the low level of recruitment activity.
