Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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244. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide an update on the status of the Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2018. [21225/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, on 11 April 2018 the Government agreed the General Scheme and Heads of Bill to amend the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956-2005 and the Public Service Management Act, 1997. Pre-legislative scrutiny was held on 28 June 2018. The policy intention of this Bill remains as was approved in 2018.

The main purpose is to amend the Civil Service Regulation Acts 1956–2005 and the Public Service Management Act, 1997 to provide that disciplinary action up to and including dismissal in the Civil Service can be assigned below the level of the head of the organisation (known as the Appropriate Authority) and other miscellaneous amendments to modernise the legislation based on the General Scheme of the Bill. The legislative amendments are intended to be enabling rather than prescriptive in relation to the assignment of the disciplinary function.

The drafting of the legislation is significantly advanced. My officials continue to work on the detailed policy considerations associated with the drafting, and these must be worked through before the draft Bill can be approved. The Bill is on the list of priority legislation for publication in the current session.