§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines are operated by his Department as regards the use of executive search agencies to fill vacancies within his Department and his Department's executive agencies; and in what circumstances his Department employs executive search agencies instead of relying fully on Departmental resources to fill vacant posts.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 26 January 1995]: Executive search agencies are used in cases where my Department and its agencies consider posts will be difficult to fill and where suitable candidates are probably currently in employment and therefore unlikely to apply simply on the basis of an advertisement in the press.