§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list which parts of his Department's guide for staff reporting officers are mandatory; in cases where reporting officers do not comply with all the notes, whether his Department's personnel management officers must make a judgment as to whether or not compliance with the notes would have led to a different marking or other comments; and whether the individual concerned is informed of judgments.
§ Mr. NorrisThe Department required all reporting and countersigning officers to study the staff appraisal and reporting notes for guidance before completing any staff reports. The notes, which are advisory, aim to achieve the greatest possible consistency of approach across a wide ranging and diverse group of staff.
Personnel officers review all completed staff reports, and where necessary, return completed reports to the reporting officers for clarification or amendment. Personnel officers would query a report which had been completed in a way which conflicts with the guidance. However, judgments on standards are for reporting and countersigning officers. Personnel officers may draw attention to marks which appear inconsistent, but, except in a few cases where officers are on secondment to other organisations and reports are being completed by non-civil servants, decisions or marks awarded are for reporting and countersigning officers, who have had the opportunity to observe and oversee an officer's work.