CABINET OFFICE News
Release (Civil Service Commissioners) issued by The Government News
Network on 15 July 2008
'MIXED
PICTURE' ON APPOINTMENT OF WOMEN SAYS FIRST COMMISSIONER
"This year has seen a significant increase in the number of
women appointed to jobs at the very top of the Civil Service, but
overall there was a further decline in the percentage of all
senior appointments that went to women." Janet Paraskeva, the
First Civil Service Commissioner said today.
Publishing the Civil Service Commissioners' online annual
report for 2007/08, Janet Paraskeva said:
"This year has seen a significant increase in the percentage
of jobs at the very top of the Civil Service which have gone to
female candidates. The two Permanent Secretary appointments this
year were both women. For the first time in the past four years
the percentage of women appointed to the very highest jobs (pay
band 3 and Permanent Secretaries) is higher than the overall
percentage of women appointed to all senior jobs.
"But, overall this year we saw another decline in the
percentage of all senior appointments that went to women. Only 24%
of all senior appointments that we are required to approve went to
women compared to 27% the year before and 32% the year before
that. The Commissioners welcome the fact that women are competing
successfully for the most senior jobs in the Civil Service.
However, if women are being less successful in gaining
appointments to jobs outside the ' Top 200' then the
pool of women civil servants who can compete for the top jobs in
the future will be depleted."
Ms Paraskeva continued:
"Last year we also expressed our concern about a number of
instances of salary payments significantly higher than the
advertised rate to candidates from the private sector. In one case
this was as much as 100%. We also reported a number of instances
where civil servant candidates were paid significantly under the
advertised rate.
"This year the picture is more mixed. There are fewer
instances of significant salary payments over the advertised rate
and they are less extreme. Also this year some of those who
negotiated rates higher than the advertised range were existing
civil servants. At the other end of the scale, some of the
payments under the advertised rate went to candidates from the
private sector. There do seem to be more examples this year of
candidates being paid significantly under the advertised rate. The
four most extreme examples were civil servants.
"We are concerned to note that there is some evidence to
suggest that successful female civil servants are
disproportionately more likely to be paid under the advertised
rate than their male colleagues. This is something we shall
monitor and report on next year."
"In our report last year we noted a sharp increase in the
number of departments and agencies judged as 'high risk'
during our compliance audits which monitor Departments'
recruitment practice. I am pleased to be able to report that this
trend has been reversed. This year only 5% of organisations were
judged to be 'high risk'. This compares to 14% last year
and 8% the year before. We have been working with departments to
help them address the practices that might produce a 'high
risk' assessment and this appears to be working well.
Commenting on the draft Constitutional Renewal Bill, Ms Paraskeva said:
"We have waited a very long time for civil service
legislation, now the possibility is at last here we must get it
right. We welcome the fact that the Government has brought a draft
Bill forward and we will work with the Government and others to
ensure the best possible legislation is brought to the statute
book. The core values of the Civil Service - honesty, integrity,
objectivity, impartiality and appointment on merit are important
to every civil servant and every citizen. With my fellow
Commissioners, I look forward to the next phase of our work in
ensuring that those values underpin an efficient, fair and
effective Civil Service, now and for the future."
The Commissioners' annual report is available at http://www.cscannualreport.info.
The report details the Commissioners' work throughout the
year in regulating appointments to the Civil Service and hearing
appeals under the Civil Service Code.
Notes to Editors
1. Further information about the work of the Civil Service
Commissioners is available at http://www.civilservicecommissioners.org.
2. The Civil Service Commissioners are independent of Ministers
and the Civil Service. They are responsible for maintaining the
principle of recruitment to the Civil Service through selection on
merit on the basis of fair and open competition. They also advise
Departments on the promotion of the Civil Service Code and hear
and determine appeals from civil servants under it.
3. Civil Service Commissioners are appointed by the Crown under
the Royal Prerogative. There are currently 14 (part-time)
Commissioners, who were recruited following open competition.
Janet Paraskeva is the senior Commissioner, known as the First Commissioner.