Civil servants’ ‘lack of accountability’ strikes a chord with Chamber
Tuesday 17th August 2010, 2:29PM BST.
CIVIL SERVANTS’ lack of accountability to the States chief executive is the biggest single problem within the structure of the island’s government, the editor of the Guernsey Press said yesterday.
Speaking at the Chamber of Commerce monthly lunch, Richard Digard discussed the topic ‘the current disconnect between business and Guernsey’s government’.
Mr Digard (pictured) talked about the lack of will within the States as it sets out on its much-publicised mission to change the way it operates.
He said sources had told him the States was ‘riding a rollercoaster of general nonchalance’.
‘But the good news is that there is, at certain levels, a strong recognition that something has to happen,’ he said.
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How I agree with your editor, Richard Digard, with his comments on lack of accountability of Civil Servants.
I recently wrote a letter to one of the local departments at Frossard House with a number of queries to which I requested some answers. I received a standard letter back giving me information I didn’t need, basically telling me that they would not answer the questions I asked – That was really quite unhelpful and I am at a loss as to what I now do.
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Mr Dunning – i suggest be polite, be clear, be relevant, be persistent and ask for further clarification, ask for personal meetings with decision makers, be reasonable. do not rant, rage or be abusive or irrelevant. remember civil servants frame their service and decisions within the law of the land (made by politicians). you have redress through reviews or appeals. do not be vexatious. remember civil servants vary hugely in experience and, because they are human, and ordinary islanders like you and me (mr digard would do well to dwell on that), their service will be imperfect. the most unhelpful thing to our community is for unreasonable people to go public with unreasonable complaints. (there are questions to ask though – maybe the best one is, no different to the private sector, why and how some managers are promoted to positions beyond their ability, driven only by the final salary pension and not because of what should be a career of service to others. omg mr d will have that one in his next editorial!).
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While we don’t know what questions, or even the type of questions, Mike Dunning was asking, I would suggest he considers approaching a Deputy.
It could be a Deputy on the Board of the department concerned, in which case the Deputy might know the answers, or be willing to find out.
Alternatively, Mike Dunning could approach one of his own Deputies with a view to getting answers.
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Mr Dunning,
It depends if your letter is about your specific case or not. If it is, I’d echo what ‘blah’ said above, and add that you could take some legal advice (even if only a brief consultation), or ask an advocate to write for you – this will help your case get attention at a higher level within the department. Making some reference in your correspondence to the avenues of judicial redress you have to ensure your case is heard fairly (tribunals, appeals, reviews, whatever it is) may also help. By all means speak to them on the phone or meet them in person, but stay calm, take notes and follow everything up in writing.
Having said that, if your letter wasn’t about your specific case, I’d agree with David that asking a Deputy to ask the questions might get you more traction. Bear in mind that the department may not actually be obliged to help you.
I mean no criticism of the vast majority of civil servants, but our public administration is beset by a dismal level of transparency, no Freedom of Information, some virtually unworkable legislation, and a smattering of megalomaniacs acting beyond their powers (knowingly or not). As a result departments naturally tend to slide into situations where the squeakiest and most well-connected wheels get the oil. I don’t think the departmental staff like it any more than you do, but they are very possibly not helping you because they are too busy trying to oil the squeakier and better-connected wheels!
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This is GP self promotion at it’s worst/best (depending on your perspective). A weak report, making a weak attempt to turn Richard Digard in to an ‘expert’ on how to run the politics of this island. I agree, the States do not operate efficiently, but Mr Digard is hardly an authority on the subject is he?
And to quote ‘sources’ who tell him the States are “riding a rollercoaster of general nonchalance” is just ridiculous. The press love these ‘sources’. Trouble is, they do not check the provenance of their information correctly and do not seek to corroborate once they have got the story they want.
In short, once again GP, you need to pull your socks up.
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they are also un sackable. this also needs to change
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Totally agree with you Truth Man. I think Mr Digard would do well to mind his own ship before trying to sink someone else’s.
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Geezerboy.
Utter tosh.
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Mr Diggard…
The truth often hurts and You’re really are sailing very close to the wind with this one, There’s are many fat controller of there self built ivory towers that don’t want to be accountable..
Rgs S
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{billy the fish} its true. all that happens to them is to be moved to another states department, sorry if i hit a raw nerve?
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geezerboy:
You are wrong. I am aware of a couple of people who have had their position terminated.
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Geezer boy
Civil servants can be and some have been sacked
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I know of one particular civil servant who was ‘moved’ to another department. This individual constantly sucks up to those above while treating the rest with total disrespect. Despite this managers unpopularity amongst those who work below his level and his ability to do next to nothing and get away with it he is fully aware that he is unsackable. When he was moved from the previous department the rest of the staff were tempted to hold a celebration party. The overstaffing of states departments and councils in the UK as well is due to people like this who are only there to protect the top people from having to have contact with the real front line workers in the civil service.
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Blogger
There’s nothing in your annecdote that’s peculiar to the civil or public services.
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