Ms Shirley Comerford:

I would contend that is not how it is viewed. Our view is they are like gold nuggets and we have to try to do whatever we can to try to encourage and support people through our processes. We cannot turn around to any candidates and tell them they can compete in one process but not in another, or that if they compete in one process, it entitles them to a role in another process. We have to be clear because, as the Deputy knows, recruitment and selection are fairly litigious. We have codes of practice and rules and regulations we have to adhere to. We are looking to do something a little bit different here to see if that makes an impact. It is not just the design of the competition itself. We have been doing other things, such as reaching out to the second and third level institutions, going on roadshows, and targeted media campaigns. It is all in an effort to widen the candidate pool because we recognise the importance of having as many bilingual and Irish-speaking individuals in the public service and Civil Service as possible. What we were doing was not giving us sufficient numbers to meet that need.