Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 242: To ask the Minister for Finance if there is an alternative route for re-entry into the Civil Service for women previously employed in the Civil Service who left after getting married, other than through public jobs, taking into account the valuable experience they have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37521/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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There is no alternative route for re-entry into the civil service for women previously employed in the civil service who left after getting married, other than through open recruitment competitions. Section 11 of the Civil Service Regulation Act, 1956, as amended by the Civil Service (Employment of Married Women) Act, 1973 provided for the reinstatement to their former positions of women who resigned from the Civil Service for marriage-related reasons and who fulfilled specific criteria. This reinstatement scheme was abolished by the Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Act, 1996, which repealed the earlier statutory provisions. Accordingly, the persons concerned, along with former civil servants generally, cannot be reinstated to the civil service.

To become a civil servant again, such persons must, like other former civil servants and citizens generally, go through the normal recruitment route, i.e. they must be successful at a Public Appointments Service open recruitment competition, or such other competitions that may be run under license by individual Civil Service Departments or Officers.

Recruitment to the Civil Service is governed by the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act, 2004. The Act provides for the establishment of the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) and of the Public Appointments Service (PAS). The CPSA establishes the standards of probity, merit, equity and fairness and other principles as they consider appropriate, to be followed, in the selection and recruitment of persons for positions in the Civil Service and other public bodies. The PAS provides a centralised recruitment, assessment and selection body for the Civil Service. The Act also provides for the issuing of recruitment licences to the Secretary General of a Department of State and to other designated officers in the Public Service, enabling their Department or Office to hold a recruitment competition.

Open recruitment competitions are advertised in the Press or the Public Appointments Service website at www.publicjobs.ie. Application forms, together with all relevant details, are available when competitions are announced. Potential candidates can register their interest in a position on this website and will then be automatically notified by e-mail when a competition is announced.