Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 311: To ask the Minister for Finance if, in view of the waste of public money and the problems some Departments have had with regard to contracting in information communication technology consultants from the private sector, it is still the policy of the Civil Service Commission not to recruit staff who have qualifications and expertise to do this work at the appropriate grade with recognition of their qualifications, as are other professions in the Civil Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31737/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Public Appointments Service, PAS, acts as the centralised recruitment, assessment and selection body for the Civil Service, acting at the behest of individual Departments and offices.

Civil servants assigned to ICT work in the Civil Service are in general service grades. Staff in these grades can be directly assigned to ICT work or as a result of specially organised competitions, at either departmental or interdepartmental level. Such competitions are held at clerical officer, executive officer and higher executive officer levels respectively. Subsequent to an assignment, whether direct or by competition, specialised training is provided.

Other than recruitment of a small number of administrative officers for ICT work a number of years ago, it has not been the practice to specifically recruit ICT staff from outside the Civil Service. However, officers recruited from open competitions have regularly been assigned by Departments or offices to ICT work as a result of their having significant prior experience in ICT or an ICT qualification.

The Sustaining Progress agreement includes a provision to directly recruit staff where it is identified that certain skills and expertise are in short supply. Departments or offices were surveyed and skills shortages were identified for a number of posts in the ICT area. The posts in question were at the levels of executive officer, higher executive officer and assistant principal officer.

The implementation of this provision was subject to consultation and agreement was reached with all Civil Service unions on recruitment, by open competition, to a number of ICT posts at executive officer level in various Departments. These posts will be filled from a Public Appointments Service competition advertised in mid-October 2005.

Agreement was not reached on number of other posts identified in the survey, at the levels of higher executive officer and assistant principal officer. These posts were the subject of an arbitration finding, as result of which further discussions are required to identify the best method of progressing recruitment to these posts as provided for under the Sustaining Progress provisions.

Apart from the foregoing, in the context of supporting the needs of decentralising Departments or offices, consideration is also being given to centralised arrangements for recruiting and training ICT staff, including the possible need to recruit ICT staff from outside the Civil Service. Recruitment of information and communication technology, ICT, staff for the Civil Service and the appropriate level at which such posts should be filled is kept under review in the light of business needs of Departments and offices.

The Deputy may wish to note that, from time to time, open recruitment has taken place to fill individual ICT posts at management level in certain offices. Examples include posts filled at the Garda Headquaters and Ordnance Survey Ireland.

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 312: To ask the Minister for Finance the number and value of contracts awarded for public relations projects by his Department since December 2004. [31745/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has not awarded any contracts for public relations projects since December 2004.