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3.11 Deputy J.M. Maçon of St. Saviour of the Chief Minister regarding the appointment of the new Chief Executive of the States: [1(227)]
Will the Chief Minister provide an update on the appointment of the new Chief Executive of the States?
Senator I.J. Gorst (The Chief Minister):
At our last meeting Members approved a proposal allowing the Appointments Commission to play an active role in the appointment of the next Chief Executive. This proposal also allowed for the appointment of an independent commissioner to formally oversee that process. We are now, therefore, proceeding with the recruitment of the next C.E. (Chief Executive) and we will start an open competitive formal selection process by the end of this month.
- Deputy J.M. Maçon:
Within the recruitment documents, can the Chief Minister confirm that a key requirement will be experience in implementing electronic services?
Senator I.J. Gorst :
I do not have the recruitment document in front of me but I know that that element plays a part in that document.
- Deputy J.M. Maçon:
Is there a key requirement within that document? Senator I.J. Gorst :
As I said, I do not have that document with me, so I can certainly review it when I get back to the office after the States sitting and confirm to the Member.
- The Deputy of St. John :
Will the Chief Minister confirm whether the new Chief Executive will be working alongside the current Chief Executive for a period of time before the current Chief Executive is due to leave?
Senator I.J. Gorst :
It is expected that there will not be a perfect symmetry of timings but we will have to deal with that issue, should that arise, once we have the person that is to be recruited and we know when their start date is to be.
- The Deputy of St. John :
Can I ask whether the Chief Minister will also be appointing a Deputy Chief Executive to assist in the role?
Senator I.J. Gorst :
It would seem to me that any new person coming into the role would wish to consider recruiting either a deputy or a Chief Operations Officer to support that work.
- Deputy M. Tadier :
Will the Chief Minister give us an assurance that lessons will have been learned from the past? I know that it is a matter of strong public interest and one still remembers the fact that a previous Chief Executive left, shall we say, delicately under mysterious circumstances and was given a golden handshake of a considerable amount and that this is not seen to be acceptable, I do not think, from a public point of view nor from our own points of view. Can he give us an assurance
that, for example, the Chief Executive will not be involved in drafting his own terms and conditions or indeed in deciding what happens and what the pay-offs will be, if and when he or she has to leave - because it might be a she, of course - and whether or not there will be an exit interview, those kind of things? Of course, we do not like to think about …
The Bailiff :
Can you keep your question crisp, please? Deputy M. Tadier :
Yes, Sir. I was just going to say we do not like to talk about a divorce with a marriage but, of course, we still have to plan ahead for eventualities.
The Bailiff :
Chief Minister, the question was whether or not the Chief Executive will be concerned in writing his own contract.
Senator I.J. Gorst :
Sir, there were many more questions than that but anyway … The Bailiff :
I think that was the question.
Senator I.J. Gorst :
The reason that we made the changes that we did and the States Employment Board brought forward the changes was to ensure that the recruitment process was wholly in line with the Appointments Commission’s policy. There is no intention for the incoming Chief Executive to write their own terms and conditions. The outgoing Chief Executive that the Deputy referred to in his question, that payment was part of that individual’s contract, as I have made clear. No such contract now exists nor will they exist into the future.
- Deputy M.R. Higgins:
I just want to clarify what the Chief Minister has just said. Is he saying that any future contract for the Chief Executive will not have severance arrangements that will include pay-offs for various items such as Ministers falling out with them and making their life impossible and so on?
Senator I.J. Gorst :
The Deputy will know, referring back to the previous Comptroller and Auditor General’s report on this matter, the statements that I have made in public in this regard and they align with the statement that I have just made. Of course, all employment contracts deal with dismissals around the length of time, misconduct issues that might ultimately lead to dismissals but I have no intention ... the States Employment Board has no intention to write into any contract for an incoming Chief Executive - there is a technical term for it which just escapes me - along similar terms that the previous Chief Executive had.
- Deputy J.M. Maçon:
Will the Chief Minister inform the Assembly when it is anticipated that this recruitment period will be over?
Senator I.J. Gorst : I am happy to do so.