Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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304. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a breakdown of the number of recruitment competitions run by the Public Appointments Service that have utilised ‘reserve panels’ before the interview stage in the past three years; if he will list the competitions where this process has been used; the number of candidates currently on such ‘reserve panels’ across these competitions, given that these candidates have passed the shortlisting stage but have not been called to interview nor given clarity on timelines for further progression; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31427/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Public Appointment Service (publicjobs), the centralised recruiter for the Civil and Public Service and a body under my Department’s aegis that, as recruitment competitions for many positions across the Civil and Public Service usually attract a high number of applicants, candidates are required to undertake a range of assessments and exercises over several selection stages.

Recruitment is demand based and, as such, after the initial assessment stage, candidates may be progressed in batches (i.e. groups of candidates at a time) through the various assessment stages at different times, based on the number of vacancies that arise. Candidates successful at the final stage of the process are usually placed on a ‘panel’, where they are ranked in order of merit (i.e. ranked in numerical order based on their performance/score at final stage). Candidates will be taken from this list in order and offered a job or ‘appointment’, as vacancies become available.

In cases where the applicants for existing positions are such that it would not be practical to interview all candidates, publicjobs may decide that a shortlisting exercise should be utilised to identify a smaller number of candidates to be invited to the next stage of the selection process. In these cases the shortlisting process may apply a ‘scored assessment’ of the information provided on the application form. A rank order of candidates will then be created and, based on that ranking, candidates will be invited to the next stage of the process in groups/batches, with those candidates ranked highest invited initially. Subsequent reserve groups/batches may be invited to the next stage of the selection process over the lifetime of the competition on a demand led basis, if required.

Competitions advertised in the last three years with ‘reserve’ groups\batches and the relevant status of each: