HC Deb 12 March 1991 vol 187 cc463-4W
Mr. William Ross

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many of the civil servants employed by his Department were born in a foreign state;

(2) how many civil servants in Northern Ireland, other than those in the Northern Ireland Office, were born in a foreign state.

Dr. Mawhinney

The information could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. William Ross

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what restrictions operate in the employment of(a) foreign nationals, (b) Commonwealth citizens and(c) citizens of the Irish Republic, as (i) civil servants, or (ii) public servants in Northern Ireland; and whether such restrictions are uniformly applied throughout the United Kingdom.

Dr. Mawhinney

To be eligible for appointment to the Northern Ireland civil service, a candidate must be a Commonwealth citizen, although the Civil Service Commissioners may in exceptional circumstances decide to grant exemption from this requirement. The discretionary powers exercised by commissioners have included recruitment to scarcity occupations where suitably qualified candidates were not available and where an applicant has been closely associated with Northern Ireland or where the post is considered not to be covered by article 48(4) of the treaty of Rome.

To be eligible for appointments in the home civil service, candidates must be Commonwealth citizens, British protected persons or citizens of the Republic of Ireland.

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