The House Finance Committee on Monday will start debating the government bill that abolishes the ban on filling vacancies with permanent staff in the public sector, a measure imposed in 2013 amid the economic crisis.

The proposed legislation removes the need for written consent from the Finance Committee to fill a vacancy by first appointment, thus enabling more direct and flexible recruitment procedures.

According to the bill’s explanatory report, the Department of Public Administration and Personnel of the Ministry of Finance evaluated the effectiveness of the measure and found that its retention has led to an increase in the number of non-permanent employees, as well as the conversion of fixed-term employees to permanent employees. This is said to be contrary to the government’s policy of seeking to meet the needs of the civil service with permanent staff.

In addition, the lifting of the ban is expected to reduce the administrative costs associated with the requirement to submit applications to the competent authorities, the process of their assessment by the Department of Public Administration and Personnel, and the decision-making process by the Minister of Finance.