§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish summary information on his Department's recruitment for the calendar year 1999 and the use of permitted exceptions to the principles of fair and open competition and selection on merit, as required by the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code. [123767]
§ Dr. HowellsIt is DTI policy that recruitment is carried out on the basis of fair and open competition and selection on merit, subject to the exceptions permitted by the Civil Service Commissioners. My Department has systems in place, which ensure that the principles of fair and open competition are understood and followed in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Commissioners' recruitment Code. These Systems are subject to internal check and to external check by the Commissioner's approved auditors.
The following table and narratives describe DTI recruitment other than for the DTI's Executive Agencies and the Government Office network who make separate arrangements for publishing recruitment data.
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Recruitment information Number of staff recruited 1 January 1999–31 December 1999 Gender Ethnic background2 Range Permanent FTA Recurring temp Standby Short notice Other1 M F White Ethnic minority Not stated Disability Range 11 — 1 — — — — 1 — — — — — Range 10 13 3 — 1 — — 4 13 9 1 7 — Range 9 7 — — — — — 5 2 3 1 3 — Range 8 3 1 — — — 2 1 5 6 — — — Range 7 10 1 — — — — 9 2 9 1 1 2 Range 6 8 3 — — — 1 8 4 11 1 — 2 Range 5 29 3 — — — 7 20 19 13 23 3 — Range 4 31 — — — — 10 17 24 32 8 1 8 Range 3 53 7 — — — 32 47 45 52 36 4 9 Range 2 72 10 — — — 17 38 61 49 42 8 9 Range 1 — — — — — 3 1 2 — 2 1 — Fast Stream 13 — — — — — 6 7 12 1 — 2 Total 239 29 — 1 — 72 157 184 196 116 28 32 1Includes numbers of casuals, sandwich course students, legal trainees 2Note that ethnic data have been suppressed for those ranges where numbers recruited are five or less to avoid the possibility of identifying individuals. The number of occasions on which the permitted exceptions to fair and open competition and selection on merit have been used at each level (except for appointments of up to 12 months) are categorised as follows. Details of the exceptions are underneath the relevant category.
Extensions of appointments of up to 12 months up to a maximum of 24 months—noneShort term appointment where highly specialised skills are required—One Range 10 on standby contract to set-up Joint Cambridge University/MIT Institute project. One Range 11 stayed beyond retirement to continue work on Omissions and trading group secretariat for the Environment group before the Budget.Recurrent short term appointments—Two Range 3s, one Range 5, five Range 10s, all employed in the Queens Award office where the work is seasonal.Extensions of short term appointments beyond the initial publicised period, including conversions to permanency—One Range 5 Statistical Officer whose appointment was extended for a further six months to oversee the completion of a project; one Range 7 Research Officer converted to permanency due to difficulty of recruiting a Research Officer.Secondments—56Re-appointment of former civil servants—Two Range 4s recruited by Employment relations resigned and asked for re-instatement.Transfers of staff with their work (not under TUPE)—noneTransfer of staff from other public services without work (unless from a public body staffed exclusively by civil servants)—noneAppointments of surplus acceptable candidates to shortage posts—noneNo disabled candidates were appointed under modified selection arrangements.Any use of the exceptions reserved for the Commissioners (i.e. appointments on the basis of the proven distinction of the individual and appointments not in order of merit)—none.