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2.11 Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier of the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding the need for a Head of Policy, Ministerial Support and Engagement within her Department:
Is the post of Head of Policy, Ministerial Support and Engagement intended to act as an intermediary between the Ministerial team and senior officers and if so, why is this deemed necessary?
The Deputy of Trinity (The Minister for Health and Social Services): I can be very brief and the answer is no.
- Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:
Does the Minister not think it very odd that a person is being employed who is going to be interposed between the senior officers of the department and the Ministers? Are she and her team not capable of liaising directly with the senior officers of the department and is this not yet another example of a department which necessarily needed to strengthen its management but is now entering into Yes, Minister territory?
The Deputy of Trinity :
No, and also this is not a new job. It already exists. To run a big department - and we run it very efficiently on management staff I hasten to add, and an answer to the question has already been put - this role is important because it allows me, the senior officers and many hands-on staff to operate efficiently and effectively. If the resource was not in place, operational staff would be pulled away from operational priorities and I am sure the Deputy would agree with me that that is the last thing that he would want. I would also like to stress that this post holder, like others in departments, spends a considerable amount of time facilitating States business, managing scrutiny requests, responding to States questions, to name but a few. The process of government would not happen if we did not have these post holders.
- Senator S.C. Ferguson:
The questioner suggested we might be moving into Sir Humphrey territory. Does the Minister not think that perhaps we are getting to the point that we are getting an awful lot of chiefs and not enough Indians? We are short of nurses and we add management at the top. Is that really the way to run the department?
[10:45]
The Deputy of Trinity :
Management is a very low number of management staff compared to other departments. We are very efficient regarding management and this is not Yes, Minister. It has enabled the department to run efficiently and effectively and part of that role is to liaise with other departments and accept corporate policy, which can only be a good thing.
- Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:
Would the Minister confirm that all senior positions in her department are put before her for ultimate approval in order that the very process to which the Senator referred, namely the ongoing expansion of management positions, is kept under some form of control? Would she confirm that she checks every senior management position before it is put in place?
The Deputy of Trinity :
That is not my role. My role is to make policy. It is not operational. The job descriptions that I do see are those identified in - and I am sure the Deputy can remind me which P number it is - I think P.59/2012, which was approved by the States and any job over £100,000 salary. This is an important role and I would like to thank the present post holder because she has done an amazing job of answering questions from the good Deputy very efficiently and very effectively.