Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service Prerogative. Despite an extensive publicity campaign by trade unions, the government refused to reverse its decision, instead offering affected employees the choice between £1,000 and membership of a staff association or dismissal. Those employees dismissed could not rely on an industrial tribunal, as they were not covered by the relevant employment legislation. As such, the Council of Civil Service Unions decided judicial review was the only available route. The decision to ban workers at GCHQ from trade union membership had been taken following the meeting of a select group of ministers and the prime minister rather than the full Cabinet.
Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland was essentially a transitional arrangement and in 1924 was replaced by the Civil Service Regulation Act, 1924. The result of these acts was the Civil Service Commissioners (later the "Office of the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commissioners"), a commission of three persons charged with determining the standards for entry to the "Civil Service of the Government of Saorstát Éireann". Entry to the civil service was generally by competitive examination, and a number of qualifications such as ability, age, character, health and knowledge could be predefined. Applicants also had to meet nationality requirements. The competitive examination system was created to