Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)

We dealt with this issue previously. The charging of fees was provided for under the previous 1956 Act and the Department of Finance was anxious to maintain this flexibility. It was used for one year in the mid-1980s and it is not intended to use it in future. We have identified some areas, possibly the recruitment of technical experts, where the provision may be used because of the significant expense incurred. The provision is included to maintain the flexibility in this regard under the 1956 Act. A minimum fee was applied for a short period in the 1980s when applications for Civil Service positions were at a very high level but it was quickly dropped. While it is not intended to reintroduce charges, it was deemed important to carry over the flexibility into the new legislation.