234. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the assessment of anticipated demand that was carried out before the principal officer 2025 recruitment campaign, run by Publicjobs, the Public Appointments Service was initiated; the way in which that compares to actual placements achieved to date; the anticipated rate or volume of further vacancies expected to be filled from this panel before its current expiry of 30 September 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53331/26]

235. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in relation to the principal officer 2025 recruitment campaign, and in the absence of an order of merit, the criteria used to determine the order in which candidates are assigned to vacancies; the steps being taken to ensure that the scale of a recruitment competition reflects realistic, evidenced demand from departments/organisations to avoid candidates investing time and expense in competitions with limited or uncertain prospect of appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53332/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 234 and 235 together.

I am informed by publicjobs that, prior to the launch of the Principal Officer (PO) 2025 competition, it engaged with civil service organisations to assess demand for the skills and experience being sought through the campaign. This included a survey of relevant organisations and an information session attended by representatives from 38 such organisations. There was also consultation between my Department, public jobs and the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) on the planned competition. The overall feedback received indicated demand for candidates with certain skills and experience, which informed the design of the competition.

To better align candidates skills and those sought by organisations, candidates for this competition were invited to indicate up to three skills areas when applying. Assignments are made by matching the skills and experience verified during the selection process to the requirements of individual vacancies. Where more than one candidate is considered suitable for a role, the candidate whose skills and experience most closely align with the requirements of the vacancy is selected. Where candidates cannot be differentiated on this basis, the order of merit arising from the shortlisting stage is used.

To date, 25 candidates have been placed on the panel, and nine appointments have been made. The panel remains in place until 30 September 2026. Future appointments will depend on recruitment requests received from Departments and organisations and, as such, it is not possible to estimate the number of additional vacancies that may be filled before the panel expires.