GOVERNMENT is still recruiting senior managerial posts -– despite a continuing freeze on the salary budget.
Replying to a Tynwald question from Peter Karran (Lib Van, Onchan), Chief Minister Allan Bell said it was ‘necessary’ to continue to recruit even during ‘periods of considerable fiscal challenge’.
‘Without required staff, whether they be manual, craft, administrative, managerial, professional or technical, it would not be possible for government to continue to deliver public services,’ he told members.
Mr Bell said there was a continuing broader move across government to downsize government and natural wastage was a key tool in doing this.
But he insisted there were specific times when posts have to be filled. ‘If they are key posts central to the delivery of a service, it would not be appropriate for those posts to be left unfilled without damaging the service delivery in the process,’ he said.
The Chief Minister said government departments, boards and offices are obliged to review all vacancies, including managerial vacancies and vacancies at senior level, as they arise.
He said this can only be done where the vacancy can be funded from within existing salary budgets.
He said whenever practical, a vacancy will be filled by redeployment, thereby creating a saving for government. Vacancies are not advertised externally unless there is a ‘demonstrable requirement’ to do so.
