Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ms Tierney mentioned that in general the lifetime of a panel is 12 months and that a similar position exists in Northern Ireland. Does she have any information about the process in other countries in the European Union? How would the Public Appointments Service go about extending or closing the panel? As public representatives, we often hear about issues concerning further medical exams. In the case of recruitment of trainee gardaí and other similar positions, is that a situation in which a panel would be extended? Is there a cut-off point for those type of situations? I presume there is.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh mentioned the Irish language. My understanding from replies to questions to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is that 10% of the Civil Service deal with questions from people who use the Irish language. Is that part of the remit of the Public Appointments Service? Is it something clients would look for in terms of recruitment?