Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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304. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons holding Civil Service positions above clerical officer grade in his Department that entered the Civil Service via a route other than through an open competition run by the Public Appointments Service or its predecessors; the grades of each; and the basis for the non-standard recruitment. [11862/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware the Public Appointments Service (PAS) is the centralised provider of recruitment, assessment and selection services for the Civil Service. My Department engage and work with the Public Appointments Service on an ongoing basis to secure the appointment of officers at general service grades and officers with specific experience and qualifications to fill posts within my Department. My Department also holds a recruitment licence granted by the Commission For Public Service Appointments under the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 and can also avail of the services of recruitment agencies who also hold public service recruitment licences.

Depending on the availability of suitable candidates from PAS, the ability of PAS to run competitions to fill specific roles, or indeed the exigencies of business demands to fill critical vacancies that arise, while the services of PAS are utilised to the greatest extent  possible, not all appointments are made from PAS.

The following table outlines those positions were as a result of the exigencies of business demands the officer was not appointed through an open process administered by PAS: