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WQ.32/2019
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER
BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. BRELADE ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 15th JANUARY 2019
Question
Further to the answer of the Chairman of the States Employment Board to WQ.273/2018, can the Chief Minister advise how the level of payments made to interim Director Generals align with the strategic priority to reduce income inequality as set out in the Common Strategic Policy 2018 – 2022?
Answer
The Common Strategic Policy outlines a range of actions to help reduce income inequality, including reviewing our tax and social security system, establishing a policy board to deliver policies which support more affordable housing, implementing the disability strategy, and meaningful increases in the minimum wage.
Doing this work, however, does not preclude securing the services of high quality interim staff where staff have moved on, or where extra skills and capacity are needed. Therefore there will be times when interim staff will be required, even if it just to replace someone who departs unexpectedly, and which will be more expensive than a permanent member of staff.
We need to drive improvements in our public services for the benefit of Islanders, including delivering more efficient services, as this enables us to manage the overall tax burden, especially for people at the lower end of the income spectrum.
For example, the Target Operating Model has reduced the number of roles in the first two tiers of the organisation from 67 to 40, as management layers are reduced and services streamlined.
At the same time, interims are by nature short term and over time they provide a legacy of learning and upskilling for local staff. This will help make savings sustainable.