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1240/5/1(372)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER BY DEPUTY R. LABEY OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 4TH JULY 2017
Question
Further to the presentation of Jersey Appointments Commission: Annual Report for 2016' (R.56/2017), will the Chief Minister explain why the issues raised in paragraph 7.2 of that report have not been addressed by the States Employment Board; and advise what confidence he has that the concerns detailed in paragraph 7.4 of the same report have been recognised by the Board and that remedies will be actioned?
Furthermore, will the Chief Minister establish from the Chair of the Commission whether the recent appointment of a new Chair of Digital Jersey was subject to a full and appropriate appointments procedure, overseen by the Commission, or whether the process was impeded in any way by any matter listed as a subject of concern in paragraphs 7.2 or 7.4 of the report or detailed elsewhere within that report?
Answer
The appointment of the Chair of Digital Jersey was overseen by the Jersey Appointments Commission, and the Commissioner has confirmed that a fair and lawful process was followed.
More broadly, the Employment of States of Jersey Employees (Jersey) Law 2005 requires the Jersey Appointments Commission to report annually to the States' Employment Board, and the Chief Minister is required to present this report to the Assembly. This is an important statutory power and safeguard, providing the Jersey Appointments Commission with the ability to publicly outline its concerns in relation to any specific matters arising from its audits or senior recruitment processes.
In 2016, the Commission outlined a number of important concerns, including the experience of panel members; expectations that board members have extended lengths of service; the hurried nature of recruitment processes, and sometimes, the length of time it takes; the inclusion of independent bodies; and internships involving close family members. A number of these concerns were also raised in 2015. Work is being undertaken to address these concerns, including:
- Addressing management capability through management development programmes, including the Managers to Leaders' and the Inspiring Managers' programme, with human resources staff supporting recruitment processes by quality assuring paperwork and processes, and introducing codes of practice to support process and governance improvements.
- A recruitment guide has also been developed for independent bodies is be published, and senior Officers are working with independent bodies to ensure that appointments do not exceed best practise term lengths.
Inevitably, these matters will take time to embed, especially in some of the smaller independent bodies, and appreciating that managers undertake recruitment generally only infrequently. It will be for the Jersey Appointments Commission to determine when it next reports as to whether these steps have been sufficient, and as part of this, the Chair of the Jersey Appointments Commission has suggested to the States' Employment Board that they meet informally after six months so that progress can be monitored. This would seem welcome, and the States' Employment Board and Human Resources department will continue to monitor these issues closely to address the concerns raised in paragraphs 7.2 and 7.4.