Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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570. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will respond to a matter raised in correspondence by a person in County Cork (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44477/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Section 160 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides the Minister with the power to declare qualifications of such classes and descriptions as he or she thinks fit for a specified employment under a local authority or for such of the employments as belong to a specified class, description or grade. The declared qualifications for engineering posts in the local government sector specify that a candidate must hold an honours degree (level 8 in the National Framework of Qualifications) in Engineering. Section 160(1)(c) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that a person is not to be appointed to any employment under a local authority for which qualifications are for the time being declared under section 160 unless he or she possesses those qualifications.

The recruitment and filling of posts in the local government sector at Senior Executive Engineer and above is undertaken by the Public Appointments Service. The Public Appointments Service operates under a licence from the Commission for Public Service Appointments and is independent in its operations.

My Department undertakes reviews of declared qualifications as necessary and in April this year a Working Group was established for the purpose of reviewing the existing suite of engineering qualifications in the local government sector and to propose changes to those qualifications where necessary. To date, the Working Group has undertaken an in-depth analysis and review of the engineering qualifications through engagement with local authorities, key stakeholders and other interested parties. The review of the engineering qualifications is being progressed as a priority.