Mr. Robert Watt:

It is an enormous issue. I would not say that there is a generalised recruitment challenge. We can recruit teachers and we can recruit gardaí and civil servants. There is not a generalised recruitment problem, but clearly, if the economy continues to grow, we have full employment, and there is more evidence of shortages appearing in the economy, we are an employer competing like other employers for talented people. There is not a generalised issue.

There is an issue with technical staff, such as those with ICT skills - that is a common problem - and those with legal backgrounds in special activities. We have a pay structure that sometimes can be a little inflexible when it comes to offering salaries that are market facing. As I mentioned the leadership roles, it is not only about the joys of appearing in front of committees such as this. There are other factors involved in that.

There are challenges. If the economy continues to improve, this will be an even greater challenge for us. There is a debate to be had about what type of public service one wants because, ultimately, we cannot provide in many cases the volume of more public service. Much of it can be linked to numbers, particularly in the health system where if one wants to address issues, it involves more recruitment. There are challenges.

It is not a generalised problem. We recruit at graduate entry level. We recruit people, such as teachers and gardaí. The Public Appointments Service does it. We are able to recruit fantastic people. It is not just the younger generation and recent graduates. There are people throughout their careers who come into the service. It is fantastic. However, there are definitely pockets.