Appendix 1. Responsibilities and Costs

The Commissioners’ responsibilities are laid down by the Civil Service Order in Council 1995 (with subsequent amendments) and the Diplomatic Service Order in Council 1991 (with subsequent amendments).


Recruitment

The Orders require the Commissioners to:

  • maintain the principles of selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition in recruitment to the Civil Service (’the merit principle’)
  • prescribe and publish Recruitment Principles on the interpretation and application of the merit principle
  • incorporate in the Recruitment  Principles certain restricted circumstances in which exceptions to the merit principle can be made, within the terms of the Orders in Council
  • approve appointments at the most senior levels in the Civil Service made through open competition or under the exceptions
  • audit the recruitment systems of departments and agencies for compliance with the Recruitment Principles

In addition, the Commissioners, as empowered by the Orders, may require departments and agencies to publish information about their recruitment, including their use of the exceptions to selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.



Appeals under the Civil Service Code and the Diplomatic Service Code of Ethics

The Orders give the Commissioners the duty to hear and determine appeals under the Civil Service Code for the Home Civil Service and under the Diplomatic Service Code of Ethics.


The Civil Service Code sets out the role and duties of civil servants and the standards of conduct and propriety expected of them. It provides for matters which appear to contravene the Code to be reported under departmental procedures. Appeals may then be brought to the Commissioners. The Commissioners can also take appeals direct.


There are parallel provisions in the Diplomatic Service Code of Ethics.



Annual report

The Orders require the Commissioners to produce an annual report and specify what is to be in it:

  • summary information on appointments requiring the Commissioners’ approval which have been made through fair and open competition and through the use of permitted exceptions
  • an account of the audit of recruitment policies and practices
  • summary information on appeals which have been made to the Commissioners under the Civil Service Code and the Diplomatic Service Code of Ethics

Scope of responsibilities

The Commissioners’ responsibilities relate to the Home Civil Service and the Diplomatic Service. Other parts of the public service are outside our remit. There are separate Commissioners for the Northern Ireland Civil Service.



Finances

We provide here a summary of finances during 2009/10: £.


First Commissioner’s pay and related costs 166,910
Commissioners’ fees* 198,166
Commissioners’ travel and subsistence costs 24,149
OCSC staff pay and related costs 340,961
Consultancy costs (including compliance monitoring ) 246,010
Other administration costs
12,427
Total 988,623
Share of Independent Offices central costs 110,460
Final Total
 1,099,083

*£1,600 per senior competition chaired and an annual fee of £8,000 to cover all work, excluding competitions, based on an average of 20 days work a year.



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