Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 200: To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to make it easier for staff to transfer between local authorities and the Civil Service. [5830/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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In so far as the transfer of local authority staff into the Civil Service is concerned, there are as yet no formal arrangements in place. A staff member of a local authority where suitably qualified may, however, apply to compete in all open recruitment competitions for posts in the Civil Service.

In the second report of the decentralisation implementation group published in July 2004, it was recommended, in the context of the Government's decentralisation programme, that further consideration be given to allowing such transfer. Any changes will be considered in conjunction with the relevant staff interests.

I understand that my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responding to the Deputy's question in respect of transfers into a local authority.