What civil service grade the newly appointed Interim Managing Director will be paid and what does it equate as a gross weekly sum

4.5   Deputy M. Tadier of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding the grading of the newly appointed Interim Managing Director at Health and Social Services:

Would the Minister advise Members at what Civil Service grade the newly appointed Interim Managing Director at Health and Social Services will be paid and what this equates to as a gross weekly sum?

The Deputy of Trinity (The Minister for Health and Social Services):

The substantive post of Hospital Managing Director will be made at a Civil Service A grade. We have secured a significant reduction on the typical market rate for an interim hospital managing director because of the attraction of working in Jersey. However, contractual details are private and confidential. The Hospital Managing Director will lead the operational implementation of the vital work on behalf of the newly appointed Chief Officer which will allow her to concentrate on leading the strategic delivery of all Health and Social Services.

1. Deputy M. Tadier :

The Minister talks of the attraction of working in Jersey. It must be the only post in the Health and Social Services Department which does attract people to Jersey. The Minister is again hiding behind confidentiality, I would simply ask then first of all who can the information be made available to? Can it be made available to States Members in confidence?  Secondly, would she inform whether the current pay is more or less or the same as what would have been paid to the previous incumbent?

The Deputy of Trinity :

The first point that Deputy Tadier made about attraction to Jersey is that staff do come over here and do take up posts and I think he belittles the staff that do come here. There are certain attractions and one of them is definitely the quality of life over here. The second point about the contractual is it comes through from the States Employment Board but I can ask the Chief Minister and come back to the Deputy . The last post of a hospital director was over 5 or 6 years ago and it is difficult to equate the salary then to this interim post.

2. Deputy M. Tadier :

The Minister said that I was in some way belittling the staff of the general hospital, I do not see how on earth I am doing this, I am simply saying that at the moment the current conditions at the Jersey Hospital are not sufficient to entice necessarily the best calibre of staff or to offer the best packages.  But moving away from that I would simply say to the Minister, is she saying that I should perhaps make an application under the Code of Practice on Public Access to Official Information for this kind of

information because this is again an example where Members are denied information on the basis of confidentiality which should be readily available to any member of the public as a taxpayer because this person is employed by the taxpayer and so the information should be freely available. Would she not agree and would she stop hiding behind confidentiality and make the information available as she can well do.

The Deputy of Trinity :

Any contract, I think, for any States employee is private and confidential. But as I said before I would talk to the Chief Minister and come back to the Deputy .

The Bailiff :

Deputy Vallois, did you wish to ask a question, I thought I saw your light.

3. Deputy T.A. Vallois of St. Saviour :

Could the Minister advise why it is possible then to tender out within the Jersey Evening Post with the grade and the amount for any individual in a job for Health and Social Services however for an interim director it does not have to release the grade or the amount of money?

The Deputy of Trinity :

What is advertised in the Evening Post is a post rather than a person's salary.

4. Deputy T.A. Vallois:

I would like to just ask the Minister, in the Jersey Evening Post it does state the grade and the bracket of pay that the employee would receive, could I therefore ask the Minister to answer the question?

The Deputy of Trinity :

I stand by the answer that I gave and also the one I said to Deputy Tadier , that I will

discuss it with the Chief Minister and come back not only to Deputy Tadier but to

Deputy Vallois as well.

5. The Deputy of St. John :

Could the Minister give us details of what other inducements are involved in this position, whether it is housing expense, transport,  et cetera, and how many applications for the position were from within the Island?

The Deputy of Trinity :

As I understand it there were no other inducements, if that is the word the Deputy used. There were 4 ... this is an interim post, I understand that there was 4 interviewed. I do not know how many applied for the job, I do not have that information. As I said, this is an interim post. As I understand it there was no-one locally in the last 4 but when a substantive post does come - this is an interim post for only 6 months - and when the substantive post becomes advertised, which will be fairly soon, then it will be open to anyone and will go through the due process.

6. Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:

Is the Minister aware that I have put in a Freedom of Information request which is currently under a long period of delay in order to get all Chief Officers salaries in the public domain? Secondly, is the Minister aware that there is a lively debate in Britain based on open information about the salary and bonus structure of Chief Executives in the Health Service?

The Deputy of Trinity :

I was not aware that the Deputy had put that information through and I am sure there is always lively debate about people's salaries.

The Bailiff :

Do you want a final question, Deputy Tadier ?

Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:

Can I have a supplementary, Sir?

The Bailiff :

No, I think we have got to move on now, Deputy .

7. Deputy M. Tadier :

I appreciate the Minister feels constrained by confidentiality therefore I will ask a more general question. Would it be normal for an interim manager of this position - an interim director - to be paid more than the present incumbent or the normal incumbent due to the fact that it is a temporary post?

The Deputy of Trinity :

Just to confirm that we have not got a hospital director, that is the whole point that an interim one ... that it was identified in the Verita recommendations that one was essential. The Hospital Director has delivery of all clinical operations within the Jersey General Hospital so it is very difficult to compare salaries to the incumbent because there is not one.

8. Deputy M. Tadier :

So I infer that the answer is yes that this post would be more highly remunerated than the previous post even thought it is slightly different?

The Deputy of Trinity :

We had not had a hospital director, and I am not sure it is the same job description, back 5, 6, if not 7 years ago. So it is very difficult to compare.

The Bailiff :

Very well, we come next to question

9. The Very Reverend R.F. Key, B.A., The Dean of Jersey:

Will you allow a point of information? To say that as somebody responsible for

chairing the Appointment Panels of 2 people employed by the Health Service - that is

to say the Chaplain and the Joint Second Chaplain who is also the Chaplain at the

prison - we have found, as a matter of fact, no difficulty at all in recruiting people of

the highest calibre who have given up senior jobs in the United Kingdom to serve in Jersey and I just give that information to the House.