Plan for quotas for Civil Service ‘outsiders’ abandoned

The Government has abandoned plans to introduce a quota for appointments from outside of the Civil Service in a new open competition for senior management positions next year. The programme for government agreed between Fine Gael and Labour in 2011 said that all appointments at principal officer level and above in the Civil Service would be open to external competition. The document also said that "at least one-third of such appointments will be reserved for candidates from outside traditional Civil Service structures for a five-year period".

The new Civil Service reform plan, launched by Taoiseach Enda Kenny on October 30th, promised to extend the established policy of open competition for all senior management positions (assistant principal and above). However, there was no reference to quotas for outside appointments as was set out in the Programme for Government.

Asked if it still intended to introduce a quota system, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said it was planned that an open principal officer competition would be held in the first quarter of 2015.

“The competition . . . will be based on the identified competencies for the post of principal officer. The competition will provide a valuable opportunity to bring senior managers from a wide variety of backgrounds into the system and to support mobility of internal talent across the Civil Service. The outcome of the competition will be reviewed to see if it has succeeded in meeting the required targets for external recruitment.”

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said that in relation to the higher grades above principal officer, since early 2007 the policy had been that open competitions were held for assistant secretary, deputy secretary and equivalent posts.

“More recently this policy has been extended to all secretary general posts.”

Public service unions have expressed concern about the Government’s plans for open competition for Civil Service positions above assistant principal level.

The Public Service Executive Union, which represents mid-ranking Civil Service staff just below assistant principal level, told members: "In effect, promotion processes have been opened up already with access for all Civil Servants to posts across streams and grades.

“However, worryingly and rather bafflingly, one of the action points speaks of the intention to extend the established policy of open competition for all senior management positions (assistant principal and above).

“Apart from the logistical difficulties in running open competitions for all such posts, were this action to be implemented in its entirety, there would be no promotion opportunities with in departments. Thus, exceptional work performance would, if this happened, carry no value in terms of promotion.”