Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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142. To ask the Minister for Finance why staff who have held temporary contracts on a rolling basis over a number of years in the Revenue Commissioners in Ennis, County Clare, are not being awarded permanent contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19348/16]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that temporary staff are employed on the basis of fixed-term contracts and are not employed on a rolling basis. Short term temporary staff are generally required due to the seasonal nature of some work in Revenue, including Ennis, and to cover staff availing of shorter working year during the period from June to end of August.

The Public Appointments Service (PAS) run competitions on an annual basis for Temporary Clerical Officer (TCO) positions across the Civil Service. Candidates who are successful are placed on an order of merit from which Revenue recruits temporary staff.

Revenue is not in a position to offer permanent employment when the fixed term contract expires. The recruitment and appointment of permanent staff in Revenue is regulated by the Commission for Public Service Appointments. All recruitment for permanent clerical positions in Revenue must be carried out in accordance with a licence granted by the Commission. The licence held by Revenue does not provide for the awarding of permanent contracts to these staff on the basis of their temporary employment. However, they are eligible to apply in the normal way for any open competitions being run by PAS or Revenue for the recruitment of permanent staff. In January 2014 Revenue ran a competition which enabled serving temporary Revenue staff, including those in Ennis, to fill a number of permanent posts. More recently, the Public Appointments Service held an open clerical officer competition which closed in June 2016. Temporary Revenue staff were eligible to apply for this competition. Revenue will recruit from this panel to fill permanent clerical officer positions as they arise.