Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin T.D., welcomes the Government’s decision to reform the arrangements for appointing most senior civil servants. The Minister stated “this Government is committed to reforming the public sector and this reform must happen from the top down. In line with the Programme for Government the structure of Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) will be radically overhauled so that the chairperson and the majority of members will be drawn from outside the public sector.
In addition to transforming the structure of the Committee, new approaches to attract external candidates to these top jobs will also be considered by the new Committee.” The Minister said that the relevant civil service posts should be filled by way of a fair and competitive process designed to find the best person for the job. If it is necessary to use an element of headhunting this will be done. “It is essential the right people capable of taking on the complex challenges our country faces now, and in the future are in place.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor The Government has decided that membership of The Top Level Appointments Committee should comprise
(i) Secretary General, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform,
(ii) Secretary General to the Government,
(iii) two other senior public servants appointed for three year terms, and
(iv) five members from outside the civil service appointed for three year terms, one of whom would be the chairperson (some members might initially be appointed for longer terms in order to stagger turnover);
All final interviews should be conducted by sub-panels of the Committee, each comprising two civil service and three external members and chaired by one of the external members. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will ensure that there is adequate rotation among the members in the composition of boards;
In the case of specialist technical or professional posts, the TLAC may as heretofore make special arrangements by delegating the final interview to a separate board or by adding an additional member from outside the members of TLAC to a final TLAC board;
The Minister will bring forward proposals on the external members of the Committee at a future Government meeting.
The present structure of TLAC membership is:
Secretary General,
Public Service Management and Development Secretary General to the Government
Two other Secretaries General appointed for three year terms
An external member appointed for a three year term