Temporary employees within the Chief Operating Office Department (FOI)

Request

Can you provide the following information on the number of interim / temporary employees within the Chief Operating Office Department (COO) broken down by each year since 1 January 2019 grade 10 equivalent and above:

A

The number of posts, their job titles, which division they belong to

B

Which of these posts have been filled by people off-island

C

Confirm which of these posts are being reimbursed for expenses

D

The number of times these posts have been advertised during this period broken down for each post

Response

A

P59/2019, “Consultants: Reporting on their use by the Government of Jersey” requires government to publish costs and information covering consultants, contingent labour including interims and agency spend.

Accordingly, this information is already readily available on the States Assembly website. The Proposition reports on all spend above £20,000, within the definitions of the report. The civil servant grade 10 working for that period would fall within the financial criteria for inclusion.

Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied, as the information is accessible by other means:

January to June 2019

July to December 2019

January to June 2020

July to December 2020

The January to June 2021 report is still in draft and will be released within the next 12 weeks. Article 36 (Information intended for future publication) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

For the period covering July 2021 – present, to collate this data would exceed the cost limit provisions allowed under Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 and the 12.5 hours limit allowed under regulation 2 (1) of the Freedom of Information (Costs) (Jersey) Regulations 2014. This information will be released during the first half of 2022.

B 

The Government of Jersey does not hold this information in recorded form. To provide a response to your request would require manipulation of data. A Scheduled Public Authority is not required to manipulate data to provide a response. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies as this information is not held.

C 

Travel expenses are reported in the Proposition 59 for all consultants and interims. Please note that some consultants and interims include travel expenses within their fees.

There is an expectation that no expenses are paid for fixed term contractors and agency staff. In any event, the Government of Jersey does not hold reimbursement expenses in recorded form for fixed term contractors and agency staff. To provide a response to your request would require manipulation of data. A Scheduled Public Authority is not required to manipulate data to provide a response. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies as this information is not held.

D  

The Government of Jersey does not hold this information in recorded form. To provide a response to your request would require manipulation of data. A Scheduled Public Authority is not required to manipulate data to provide a response. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies as this information is not held.

Articles applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a) it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b) it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations.

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.

Article 36 - Information intended for future publication

(1) Information is qualified exempt information if, at the time when the request for the information is made, the information is being held by a public authority with a view to its being published within 12 weeks of the date of the request.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant –

(a) of the date when the information will be published.

(b) of the manner in which it will be published; and

(c) by whom it will be published.

(3) In this Article, “published” means published –

(a) by a public authority; or

(b) by any other person.