WRC rejects Bernard Lester’s age discrimination complaint against Public Appointments Service

The Workplace Relations Commission found Bernard Lester’s age discrimination complaint against the Public Appointments Service not well founded. The decision, dated 7 November 2022, concerned his application for a Senior Transportation Officer role with Dublin City Council. Lester, who was 62 at the time, argued that an interview question about what would be written on his headstone in 20 years and his assessment reflected age bias. The service denied discrimination and said the selection process was fair. The adjudication officer found that the question was about how candidates would be remembered by colleagues, was asked of all candidates and was not asked in a headstone context. Lester scored 45 for Strategic Management and Change, below the 50 mark pass threshold, and was not placed on the panel. The officer concluded that Lester had not established primary facts that could support an inference of discrimination, and found no evidence that age affected his assessment. The complaint was therefore not well founded.