To ask the Minister of Finance Whether he plans to review HR Connect recruitment practices to ensure they are fair and equitable, in light of issues raised in the recent IRC324853 Civil Service recruitment competition, including that the job advertisement did not state that applicants were required to complete an online aptitude test; that details of the test were only referenced on page 21 of the Candidate Information Booklet; and that the aptitude test deadline closed one week before the application submission deadline.

The Civil Service is committed to fair, open and consistent recruitment.

In competition IRC324853 for ICT Level 3 Specialist roles, candidates were directed to the Candidate Information Booklet, which outlined the requirement to complete a Mindmill aptitude test and the relevant deadline. The test window closed one week before the application deadline to facilitate administration and allow time for completion of remaining application requirements.

Lessons learned from individual competitions are routinely considered and, where appropriate, improvements are made. Officials will consider whether information on non-standard assessment deadlines can be highlighted more prominently in future recruitment advertisements and supporting materials.