Minutes of Meeting 18th September 2007

Public Service Commission

Minutes of Proceedings

Tuesday 18^th September 2007

Boardroom 10 Cromac Place

The Gasworks

Present:

Mr Sid McDowell (Chairman)

Professor Bernard Cullen

Mr Brian Hanna

Mr Jim McCusker

Mrs Brenda McLaughlin

Mr Desmond Mitchell

Dr Collim Patton

In Attendance:

Mr Brian Martin

Miss Susan Dornan

Mr Will Haire, Permanent Secretary Department of Education (present for item 10)

Mr Gavin Boyd, Chief Executive Designate Education and Skills Authority (present for item 10)

Mr Eddie Rooney, Department of Education (present for item 10)

The Commission meeting opened at 10.30am.

1. Apologies

None.

2. Minutes of the meeting of 8^th August 2007

The minutes of the 8^th August were agreed.

3. Arrangements for Proceedings

The Chairman advised Commissioners of the delegation from Education. He suggested an approach to the handling of the delegation which Commissioners agreed.

4. Matters Arising

4.1

Staff Transfers Code of Practice/Addendum to Third Guiding Principle (Selection of Staff for Transfer)

The Chairman advised that the inclusion of “duties”, as a key milestone for staff which should trigger access to the third party resolution mechanism, had been raised with officials. Officials are due to forward a draft of the Code of Practice to the Commission secretariat this week.

4.2

Update on draft Guiding Principles

Voluntary Severance Arrangements (5^th Guiding Principle)

Commissioners agreed further changes to the draftGuiding Principle.

Agreed: Secretariat to make further amendments to the draft 5^th Guiding Principle and issue to Commissioners for information. Secretariat to arrange separate meetings with NIC/ICTU and Government officials to discuss the revised draft.

Location (draft 7^th Guiding Principle), Equality (draft 8^th Guiding Principle), Capacity Building (draft 9^th Guiding Principle) Employment Relations (draft 10^th Guiding Principle) and Reorganisation and the Implementation of Change (draft eleventh Guiding Principle)

The Chairman advised that Officials had planned to put Location, Equality, Capacity Building and the addendum to the third Guiding Principle to the Executive meeting on 13 September, however this has been postponed until the Executive meeting on 27 September. Commissioners noted the addition of a footnote explaining what is meant by a mobility clause to the 7^th Guiding Principle on location.

4.3

Draft Libraries Order

Commissioners were informed that the Chief Executive had responded to Government’s letter of 6 August, stating that it provided the necessary reassurances on redress to third party dispute resolution and compensation arrangements and that Commissioners would monitor the position as the draft Order progressed through the Assembly.

5. Chairman’s Business

5.1

Meeting with John Curran

The Chairman provided a brief overview of the meeting with John Curran from the Education and Skills Authority.

5.2

Letter from David Bingham

Commissioners briefly discussed David Bingham’s letter of 23 August 2007 and the protocol on filling posts below 4^th level in Health.

Agreed: Secretariat to consider the protocol and Commissioners to provide comments on it by the end of the week. Secretariat to consider whether the document could be regarded as best practice, which could be shared with other sectors.

5.3

Trilateral meeting

The Chairman advised this has been scheduled for 24 September and would probably cover areas such as the redefinition of the affected group, re-consideration of some of the mechanisms around the extant guiding principles and the revised draft 2nd and 4th Guiding Principles.

5.4

Chief Executive of Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority.

Commissioners noted that this post would be filled through open competition.

5.5

Staffing Matters

There was a brief discussion on the staffing requirement for the Commission. The Chairman and Commissioners expressed their thanks to Iris Lovell and Susan Dornan for their contribution to the work of the Commission. Both staff members are taking up opportunities in other branches.

6. 2^nd Guiding Principle (Revised) Managing Vacancies Effectively in Existing Organisations and 4^th Guiding Principle (Filling Vacancies and New or Substantially New Posts in New Organisations being created as a Result of the RPA)

The Chairman advised Commissioners that the Secretariat had revised both the second and fourth Guiding Principles in light of the Commissioners’ workshop on 15 May. Commissioners discussed both revised drafts and agreed some further changes.

Agreed: Secretariat to make agreed changes and forward to both NIC/ICTU and Government officials in advance of the tripartite meeting on 24 September. Revised drafts to be sent to the sectoral Staff Commissions after the trilateral meeting.

7. Draft 10^th Guiding principle (amalgamated Employment Relations and Reorganisation and Implementation of Change)

Commissioners discussed the amalgamated Guiding Principle.

Agreed: After making agreed changes, Secretariat to seek views on the draft from the Executive, NIC/ICTU, the sectoral Staff Commissions and the Labour Relations Agency.

8. Future Role of Public Service Commission

Commissioners discussed the future role of the Commission.

Agreed: Secretariat to produce a paper on the main issues for discussion at a future Commission meeting.

9. Commission Role on Shared Services

Commissioners discussed whether the Commission had a role in shared services in the context of RPA.

Agreed: Secretariat to produce a briefing paper on the subject for discussion at a future Commission meeting.

10. Delegation from Education

The delegation arrived at 14.00hrs. The Chairman welcomed Will Haire (Permanent Secretary, Department of Education), Gavin Boyd (Chief Executive Designate, Education and Skills Authority) and Eddie Rooney (Department of Education.

The delegation gave an overview of developments in the education sector. This was followed by discussion on a number of issues including the impact of the revised timetable; legislation; communication with staff; functions transferring; structures; shared services; the Commission’s Guiding Principles and vacancy management.

Agreed: Education delegation to be invited to a Commission meeting in early 2008 to provide an update on structures and vacancy management.

The delegation departed at 15.05hrs.

11. Deliberations

Commissioners agreed that the session with officials from the Education sector had been informative.

12. Research proposal update

The Chairman advised that a meeting is being arranged in early October to further discuss the approach and proposed questions with representatives from Health and Government.

Agreed: Commissioner Dessie Mitchell to attend the meeting in October.

13. Impact of Restoration of the Assembly on the Work of the Commission

The Chairman advised that the paper on the Guiding Principles which had been scheduled to go to the Executive on 13 September would instead be submitted to the Executive meeting on 27 September.

12. Any Other Business