8th February 2022

UNIVERSITIES ACT 1997

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK 
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, CORK

REGULATION
on
TEMPORARY MEASURES FOR APPOINTMENTS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

adopted by the Governing Body with effect from 13^th March 2020
by virtue of the Universities Act, 1997, ss 18(2) and 25(1)
and Principal Statute B.5.b

and as amended by the Governing Body on 16^th June 2020 pursuant to Principal Statute B.5.b.

and as amended by the Governing Body with effect from 21^st October 2020 pursuant to Principal Statute B.5.b.

and as amended by the Governing Body on 15^th June 2021 pursuant to Principal Statute B.5.b.

and as amended by the Governing Body on 8^th February 2022 pursuant to Principal Statute B.5.b.

1. Background

   1.1       On the 12^th March 2020, University campuses were closed on the direction of Government as part of public health measures introduced in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (the “Pandemic”) such that activities of the University were, from that date, conducted remotely, including by means of video conferencing, telephone and/or electronic means.

   1.2       The Regulations currently in force concerning appointment procedures contain certain provisions dictating that selection and assessment processes in the context of appointments cannot be completed exclusively by remote means however, it is not possible to operate within such provisions whilst the public health measures arising from the Pandemic are in place.

   1.3       This Regulation is enacted to introduce a set of measures which will modify the Regulations currently in force concerning appointment procedures on a temporary basis to enable recruitment and appointment to continue within the parameters of the public health measures in force during the Pandemic.

2. Scope and Applicability of this Regulation

   2.1       This Regulation and the temporary measures herein shall apply with effect from 13^th March 2020 (“Effective Date”) until 26th October 2022 (“Temporary Measures Period”).

   2.2       The temporary measures apply to any and all Regulations or processes currently in force (or enacted during the Temporary Measures Period) which concern recruitment and/or appointment procedures for posts in the University (together the “Appointment Regulations”) and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in such Appointment Regulations. In the event of any conflict between a provision of an Appointment Regulation and the Regulation herein, the provisions of the Regulation herein shall take precedence and prevail in all circumstances for the duration of the Temporary Measures Period.

   2.3       To the extent not inconsistent with the provisions of the Regulation herein, the Appointment Regulations shall continue in full force and effect during the Temporary Measures Period. On expiration of the Temporary Measures Period, the temporary measures herein shall cease to apply and the procedures outlined in the Appointment Regulations shall resume in full.

   2.4       Any short listing meetings, selection committee meetings, seminars, interviews, decisions taken thereat and/or steps in a recruitment and/or appointment process which may have taken place exclusively by means of remote technology and/or video conferencing since the Effective Date but prior to the enactment of the Regulation herein (or any subsequent amendment thereof) are, subject to the Department of Human Resources having been aware of such steps, hereby ratified and the temporary measures outlined in Section 3.2 to 3.5 inclusive below shall be deemed to apply.

3. Temporary Measures

   3.1       Any request to proceed with interview for appointment to a post in the University during the Temporary Measures Period must first be approved by the President, the Deputy President and Registrar, the Bursar and the Director of Human Resources, on receipt of a request from the relevant executive budget holder containing a detailed justification outlining the requirement to progress with the recruitment and appointment process for the post during the Temporary Measures Period.

   3.2       For a post approved in accordance with Section 3.1 above or otherwise separately approved by Governing Body, any steps in the recruitment, interview and/or appointment process during the Temporary Measures Period (including for example but without limitation: short listing meetings, selection committee meetings, seminars and/or interviews) may take place exclusively by means of remote technology and/or video conferencing.

   3.3       Any provision of an Appointment Regulation requiring a candidate or the selection committee to attend in person for a stage of the recruitment, interview and/or appointment process shall not apply during the Temporary Measures Period.

   3.4       Any references to “attend”, “attendance”, “attending”, being “present”, “participation”, “in person”, “physical meetings” or like phrases or any requirements for same in the Appointment Regulations shall, during the Temporary Measures Period, be construed as being satisfied through attendance exclusively by means of remote technology and/or video conferencing.

   3.5       Any provisions of the Appointment Regulations providing a candidate for appointment with a right to visit the campus and/or receive a tour of the campus or recruiting unit shall be deemed not to apply for the duration of the Temporary Measures Period and an appointment may proceed notwithstanding the absence of any such right for the candidate. In the absence of a visit to the campus and/or a tour of the campus or recruiting unit for the candidate, recruiting units shall take reasonable steps to provide short listed candidates with images and/or a virtual tour of the recruiting unit. Any provisions of the Appointment Regulations providing a candidate for appointment with a right to meet with key personnel of the recruiting unit or other University staff shall, during the Temporary Measures Period, be construed as being satisfied by such meetings taking place exclusively by means of remote technology and/or video conferencing.

   3.6       On identification of a recommended candidate for the post by the selection committee, an offer of appointment during the Temporary Measures Period or arising from a selection process which concluded during the Temporary Measures Period, may only proceed with the prior approval of the President (or where applicable for posts requiring the approval of Governing Body, with the approval of Governing Body).