Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take questions Nos. 503 and 504 together.

The Department of Social Protection can provide a response relating to the Department's offices in Longford only. Vacancies are filled nationwide in accordance with central Civil Service sequencing arrangements.

The following table outlines the number and method of filling vacancies in the Department's Longford offices since 31 August, 2022:

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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There are currently no EO vacancies in Department of Social Protection, Longford.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Civil Service mobility scheme allows officers to apply for a transfer between locations through an open, fair, and transparent system. The mobility scheme is open to Civil Servants from within the Department of Social Protection and across Civil Service organisations. The scheme comes under the remit of the Department of Public Expenditure, Reform and National Development plan and is administered by the National Shared Services Office.

Positions in the Department of Social Protection’s offices nationwide are filled via a number of methods including placement from external Public Appointment Service Panels, interdepartmental promotions, internal promotion competitions, lateral mobility and civil service mobility. The sequencing of mobility is based on appointments across the Department's locations nationally. As the Department has made a number of appointments in Longford outside of civil service mobility in recent months, it is planned to prioritise the mobility transfer panel to fill future vacancies as they arise in the coming months.