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WQ.319/2024
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER
BY DEPUTY L.K.F. STEPHENSON OF ST. MARY, ST. OUEN AND ST. PETER QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 30th SEPTEMBER 2024
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 7th OCTOBER 2024
Question
"Will the Chief Minister confirm the number of policy officers currently employed across the Government, broken down by department and grade; and will he further explain how their work is prioritised?"
Answer
Ministers are supported by policy officers to advise on how best to deliver their political priorities. The policy process includes: scoping the issue, analysis and research, advising on the most effective option, consultation and engagement, and policy implementation. In some cases, this requires legislation, but the role of a policy officer also includes advising on using other cheaper and quicker policy levers to achieve the same intent.
Where legislation is required, Ministers agree what should be prioritised and this is then coordinated through the Council of Ministers' Legislative Programme. The 2025 legislative programme will be shared with Scrutiny and the Assembly shortly.
Policy officers are part of the core team around the Minister and are employed within the departments of the Cabinet Office, Economy, External Relations, Infrastructure and Environment, Justice and Home Affairs, and Treasury and Exchequer. Within the Cabinet Office, policy officers have the same job descriptions and are subject to the same training through the Policy Profession Standards Framework. This allows the Council of Ministers to flex the policy resource to where the political priorities require their attention, such as the Common Strategic Policy. Therefore, the size of each policy team within a Department can change according to what policy areas Ministers deem appropriate.
The below Table sets out the Full Time Equivalents within each Government Department, as of 1 October 2024:
Department | FTE in Grades 6-9* | FTE in Grades 10-13 | FTE in Grades 14, 15 & Director |
Cabinet Office | 5 | 28 | 11 |
Economy |
| 17.3 | 12 |
External Relations | 1 |
|
|
Infrastructure & Environment |
| 1.3 |
|
Justice and Home Affairs |
| 2 |
|
Treasury & Resources |
| 9 |
|
TOTAL | 6 | 57.6 | 23 |
These figures only include roles which have the professional career anchor (or primary role) of policy and they may not have policy officer' in the job title. Other professions also occasionally develop policy but their career anchors are different (for example accountants, economists).
* Grades 6 to 9 includes Policy Apprentices and Assistant Policy Officers. Grades 10 to 13 includes Policy Officers, Senior Policy Officers and Principal Policy Officers. Grades 14 to 15 includes Heads of Policy and Assistant Directors of Policy