The Civil Service ( ga, An Státseirbhís) of Ireland is the collective term for the permanent staff of the

departments of state The United States federal executive departments are the principal units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. They are analogous to ministries common in parliamentary or semi-presidential systems but (the Unite ...

and certain state agencies who advise and work for the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...

. It consists of two broad components, the ''Civil Service of the Government'' and the ''Civil Service of the State''. Whilst these two components are largely theoretical they do have some fundamental operational differences.

Background

The civil service of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

, was not formally established by law. The

Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...

of 1921 did however provide that the

Government of the Irish Free State A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

became responsible for those who were discharged or retired from the civil or public services in the new state, except a few exempted personnel recruited in response of the

Anglo-Irish War The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mi ...

. The exact status and compensation of such people was further codified in law by th
Civil Service (Transferred Officers) Compensation Act, 1929
This had the effect that the state became responsible for essentially all former Dublin Castle administration civil servants based in the new state. The first attempt at formally regulating the civil service was th
Civil Service Regulation Act, 1923
which was essentially a transitional arrangement and in 1924 was replaced by th
Civil Service Regulation Act, 1924
The result of these acts was the Civil Service Commissioners (later the ''Office of the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commissioners''), a commission of three persons charged with determining the standards for entry to the ''Civil Service of the Government of Saorstát Éireann''. Entry to the civil service was generally by competitive examination, and a number of qualifications such as ability, age, character, health and knowledge could be predefined. Applicants also had to meet nationality requirements. The competitive examination system was created to ensure that the appointment of people to the institutions of the state would be based on merit only, and as such limiting any

spoils system In politics and government, a spoils system (also known as a patronage system) is a practice in which a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its supporters, friends (cronyism), and relatives (nepotism) as a reward ...

type influence. In retrospect however this often became criticised as being a rigid system in which promotion was based primarily on one's seniority and not on the ability of forward thinking or risk taking. A result of this was that the civil service became regarded as retaining its British outlook until well into the 1950s, T.K. Whitaker was among a new generation of civil servants who would "break the mould" and cast off this image. The ''Civil Service of the Government'' is the direct descendant of the Civil Service of the Government of Saorstát Éireann, as provided for in Article 56, of the

Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland ( ga, Bunreacht na hÉireann, ) is the fundamental law of Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. The constitution, based on a system of representative democracy, is broadly within the traditi ...

; one of the Transitory Provisions intended to ensure continuance of institutions of the state. A significant reform of the civil service occurred by th
Civil Service Regulation Act, 1956
an

These two acts however were deeply controversial in that they placed in statute law the requirement that many women would face mandatory retirement on marriage (the requirement was previously a regulation since 1924). This provision was finally rescinded by th

In 2004 the Office of the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commissioners was abolished and replaced by two separate bodies, the

Commission for Public Service Appointments The Commission for Public Service Appointments ( ga, Coimisiúin um Cheapacháin Seirbhíse Poiblí) is an independent Irish statutory body which sets standards for recruitment in the public service. The Commission is not to be confused with the P ...

, a standards-setting body, and the Public Appointments Service, a central recruitment agency for the Civil Service. Since this time government departments have been allowed to recruit directly, though most still avail of the services of the PAS. Th
Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Act 2018
allows civil servants to work until the age of 70 if they choose.

Civil Service

All civil servants are expected to be impartial, and to act within the law. A member of the Civil Service is expected to maintain political impartiality and all grades must not seek nomination or election to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

Houses of the Oireachtas The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the bicameral parliament of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of: *The President of Ireland *The two houses of the Oireachtas ( ga, Tithe an Oireachtais): ** Dáil Éireann ...

. Certain grades are also barred from seeking nomination or election to

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

. Civil servants above the clerical grade must not take part in public debate outside their normal official duties. For instance privately contributing to newspapers, radio, or television would be considered a violation of this principle. All civil servants, including those on career break or retirement are subject to th
Official Secrets Act 1963
as amended, exceptions to this include the

Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...

. Civil servants must not take part in anything that may involve a

conflict of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates to situations i ...

, and if they seek outside work must bring it to the attention of their line manager who may refuse the request. Civil servant grades and positions defined as "designated positions" under the ''Ethics in Public Office Acts'' must make a

disclosure of interests Disclosure may refer to: Arts and media * ''Disclosure'' (The Gathering album), 2012 *Disclosure (band), a UK-based garage/electronic duo * ''Disclosure'' (novel), 1994 novel written by Michael Crichton ** ''Disclosure'' (1994 film), an American ...

where they have a relevant interest. The grading structure is heavily based on that of the

British Civil Service His Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as His Majesty's Civil Service, the Home Civil Service, or colloquially as the Civil Service is the permanent bureaucracy or secretariat of Crown employees that supports His Majesty's Government, which ...

. Traditionally the Administrative Officer grade was the highest grade at which one could join the civil service, with higher grades filled by internal promotion. Entry positions are recruited openly by the Public Appointments Service (formerly the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission). The

Social Partnership Social partnership ( ga, Pairtíocht sóisialta) is the term used for the tripartite, triennial national pay agreements reached in Ireland. The process was initiated in 1987, following a period of high inflation and weak economic growth which le ...

agreement ''Towards 2016'' allowed for a proportion of the previously internally filled positions to be advertised and filled externally, at the grades of Principal Officer, Assistant Principal and Higher Executive Officer. Many positions at Assistant Secretary level (generally the second most senior grade in a Government Department) have also been advertised externally in recent years. In some departments or offices, particularly at senior levels in the Civil Service of the State, different titles (such as Director or Commissioner) may be applied to positions instead of the traditional grade. There also exists the grades of Services Officer, Administrative Officer, and Second Secretary which only exist in certain departments or offices. Specialist or technical positions may have a different grading structure. It has become practice in recent times for some outside advisors to also work in government departments, such as 'programme managers', however the conditions and remuneration of such individuals varies with government.

Civil Service of the Government

The Civil Service of the Government ( ga, Státseirbhís an Rialtais) is the body of civil servants which advises and carries out the work of the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

, through the

Departments of State The United States federal executive departments are the principal units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. They are analogous to ministries common in parliamentary or semi-presidential systems but (the Unite ...

, each of which is directed by a Minister of the Government. The permanent head of a department is known as the Secretary General (equivalent to a Permanent Secretary in the

). The head of the civil service is the Secretary General to the Government, who is also Secretary General of the

Department of the Taoiseach The Department of the Taoiseach ( ga, Roinn an Taoisigh) is the government department of the Taoiseach, the title in Ireland for the head of government.Article 13.1.1° and Article 28.5.1° of the Constitution of Ireland. The latter provision re ...

. Additionally, Civil Servants in the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...

are Civil Servants of the Government (Garda Síochána Act 2005). The largest reform of the civil service occurred in 1984 when the abolition of the

Department of Posts and Telegraphs The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs ( ga, Aire Poist agus Telegrafa) was the holder of a position in the Government of Ireland (and, earlier, in the Executive Council of the Irish Free State). From 1924 until 1984 – when it was abolished � ...

led to the halving of civil service numbers. The affected personnel, mainly postal and telecommunications workers, were transferred to An Post and

Telecom Éireann Telecom Éireann (; meaning "Telecommunications of Ireland") was an Irish state-owned telecommunications company that operated from 1983 to 1999. Prior to then a telephone and postal service was provided by the Department of Posts and Telegraph ...

respectively.

Civil Service of the State

The Civil Service of the State ( ga, Státseirbhís an Stáit) is a relatively small component of the overall civil service, and its members are expected to be absolutely independent of the government, in addition to normal political independence which is expected. Civil servants in the offices of the

Office of the Revenue Commissioners The Revenue Commissioners ( ga, Na Coimisinéirí Ioncaim), commonly called Revenue, is the Irish Government agency responsible for customs, excise, taxation and related matters. Though Revenue can trace itself back to predecessors (with the A ...

Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) ( ga, Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí) (legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of o ...

Comptroller and Auditor-General of Ireland A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level execut ...

, Courts Service of Ireland, Director of Public Prosecutions,

Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is an independent statutory body in Ireland charged with overseeing the Garda Síochána, the national police force. It is a three-member body established under the Garda Síochána Act, 2005 to de ...

,Section 71(3) Part 3, Garda Síocháná Act 2005 Legal Aid Board,

, Irish Naturalisation & Immigration Service, Information Commissioner and Ombudsman are all considered to be part of the Civil Service of the State. Certain other offices are also prescribed under the Civil Service of the State.

Footnotes

References

*''Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour'', Standards in Public Office Commission, Dublin, February 2005. *''Guidelines on Compliance with the Provisions of the Ethics in Public Office Acts 1995 and 2001'', Standards in Public Office Commission, Dublin, June 2005.

External links

Public Appointments ServiceCommission for Public Service AppointmentsEuropean Federation of Public Service UnionsA Review of the Civil Service Grading and Pay System 2008
{{Civil service Government of the Republic of Ireland Ireland, Republic of