Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 13:

In page 42, before section 58 but in Part 6 of the Bill to insert the following new section:

58.—(1) The Commission may make a report under section 17 into the promotion practices of—

(i) any public service body, or

(ii) any class of public service bodies.

(2) Where—

(a) a report made to the Minister under subsection (1) contains a recommendation that an order be made under section 6 (1) in respect of promotion to a specific position or a class of positions, and

(b) no such order has been made within 2 years of the Minister receiving the report, then the Minister shall lay a report on the matter before each House of the Oireachtas within the next 10 days on which the House concerned has sat after the end of that period of 2 years.".

This amendment provides that the commission can arrange to make a report in respect of recruitment in bodies which are not included, such as the bodies which will replace the health boards in due course. It provides for the commission to make a recommendation that health boards or regional boards, for example, be included under its terms and if the commission so reports, the Minister will be obliged to make a decision on the report within two years. If he or she fails to do so, the Minister must lay a report on the matter before the Oireachtas within ten days of the end of the two year period.

The commission will look at promotion practices in the public service and, where it is of the view that a change in such practices is justified, the Minister will by order bring such practices within the remit of the commission as requested by it. If the Minister fails to do so, he or she will be obliged to report to the Oireachtas.