Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

I wish to apply under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts for a copy of the rules, regulations and relevant circulars and correspondence governing promotions on the basis of seniority and suitability within your Department and relating to the retention or the abolition of promotion on the basis of seniority and suitability within your Department. I wish to receive a copy of any circular, correspondence or instructions issued by the CPSA, the Department of Finance or the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, or any of their predecessors, to your Department concerning promotions on the basis of seniority and suitability within your Department and the retention or abolition of promotion on seniority and suitability within your Department. Please state whether your Department currently allows promotion on the basis of seniority and suitability. If your Department does not currently allow promotion on the basis of seniority and suitability please state when your Department abolished it and on what basis it abolished it. Please confirm if your Department was obliged to abolish Seniority and Suitability or whether it took the decision to do so of its own accord. Please provide all relevant documentation concerning this decision. If your Department allows promotion on the basis of seniority and suitability please state whether the promotions for those officers promoted are paid through the 1% PCW allowance or whether they are paid through the normal exchequer funding as per all other promotions. Please note I am not referring to uplifts under the 1% PCW allowance but to promotions on the basis of seniority and suitability outside of the 1% PCW allowance; i.e. paid out of normal exchequer funding. Please state whether your Department has ever discussed the abolition of promotion on seniority and suitability with the trade unions and if it has reached and signed an agreement with any of the trade unions in this regard. If it has signed such an agreement, please provide the details of this agreement and the name of the trade union with whom the agreement was signed.