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What action is available to the employer when a civil servant gives misleading or untrue information to their Minister

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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR TREASURY AND RESOURCES BY THE DEPUTY OF ST. MARY

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 1st FEBRUARY 2011

Question

What action is available to the employer when a civil servant makes a serious error in an area of their professional competence (where "serious" means that the consequences are such that one would reasonably expect that person to have satisfied themselves rigorously with regard to that decision, or to those calculations, etc.?)

What action is available to the employer when a civil servant gives misleading or untrue information to their Minister, for example, in a draft answer to a Written Question, or as part of a Policy document?

Answer

If an investigation were to demonstrate that the facts of a case were as straightforward as the question suggests, then the civil servant in question would be liable to appropriate disciplinary action under the relevant disciplinary or capability procedure.

The process could involve suspension from duty pending an investigation, and, if the allegations were upheld in a disciplinary hearing, sanctions ranging from a formal or final written warning through to dismissal from the service.

Each case is dealt with strictly in accordance with its merits.