Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 367: To ask the Minister for Finance his views, in relation to recruitment to the public service, on extending panels rather than abolishing existing panels in view of the public service recruitment embargo; if a person who has applied for the position of trades officer can be transferred from trades officer to regular recruit officer; how he can justify the expense of new recruitment campaigns in the future when successful candidates are dismissed when the panel expires; if the panels will be extended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38797/09]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The recruitment and promotion moratorium announced on Friday 27th March 2009 applies to the civil service, local authorities, non-commercial state bodies, the Garda Síochána and the Permanent Defence Forces. It is not an embargo. An embargo would imply that no filling of vacancies whatsoever could take place. The Minister for Finance has the authority to allow for the filling of some vacancies in very exceptional circumstances. The Government decision also provides that vacancies may be filled by redeployment of staff from other Departments or public bodies with the sanction of the Department of Finance. In addition, arrangements for the health and education sectors have been modulated to ensure that key services are maintained insofar as possible.

The position regarding persons on panels arising from Civil Service competitions is that panels from open competitions generally stay in place until the next competition is held. Interdepartmental promotion panels have a definite life span and this is agreed centrally with the relevant Civil Service union. In the context of the Moratorium, a decision has been taken that interdepartmental promotion panels will be allowed to lapse as the closure dates are reached. Decisions in respect of Departmental promotion panels are taken at Departmental level. In respect of the wider public service, decisions on the continuation or otherwise of recruitment panels is a matter for the relevant Minister and organisation, in the context of the Moratorium. Decisions in respect of future recruitment campaigns will be taken in the context of the business needs of the relevant organisation, the Moratorium on recruitment and promotion and any redeployment arrangements agreed for the civil and public service.

I presume that, on the question of Trades Officers, Deputy Neville is referring to positions in the Irish Prison Service. I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that separate recruitment competitions are held for Trades Officer and Recruit Prison Officer. Panels of successful candidates are drawn up in respect of each competition. It is not possible to transfer a candidate from a Trades Officer panel to a Recruit Prison Officer panel. A candidate must be successful in the competition for Recruit Prison Officer in order to be placed on a panel for recruitment at that grade. There is currently no date set for the holding of a competition for future recruitment at Recruit Prison Officer Grade.