Transfer of Manpower from the Housing Department and Parish of St. Helier

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A decision made (08.05.06) to approve the request for an additional 19 full time equivalent posts to be added to the manpower budget of the Department.

Subject:	Transfer of Manpower from the Housing Department and Parish of St Helier
Decision Reference:	MD-S-2006-0040		Exempt clause(s):	N/A
Type of Report: (oral or written)	Written		Person Giving Report (if oral):	N/A
Telephone or e-mail Meeting?	N/A		Report File ref:	7/7/2
Written report – Title	Income Support - Manpower Request – Transfer from Housing Department and Parish of St Helier
Written report – Author (name and job title)	Liz Webster – Senior Human Resources Manager
Decision(s): The Minister approves the request for an additional 19 full time equivalent posts to be added to the manpower budget of the Department.
Reason(s) for decision: To enable the transfer of staff from the Housing Department and the Parish of St Helier to enable the introduction and delivery of Income Support (see attached report).
Action required: The Social Security Minister requests the approval of the Treasury & Resources Minister to the increase in the manpower budget.
Signature: Senator Paul Routier - Minister		Date of Decision:

Transfer of Manpower from the Housing Department and Parish of St. Helier

Social Security Department

Centre for work, pensions and benefits

Income Support - Manpower Request – Transfer from Housing Department and Parish of St Helier

1. Background

The Social Security Department will take over political responsibility for Income Support when it is fully introduced in May 2007. This will involve a number of staff currently working at the Housing Department and the Parish of St Helier transferring to the Social Security Department to continue to carry out the functions which will be incorporated within the Income Support Scheme.

The total number of staff expected to be required to transfer is 19 – 8 from the Housing Department and 11 from the Parish of St Helier. The net effect of this is that the Social Security Department will need to increase its manpower budget by a further 19 full time equivalent posts. Whilst there will be a compensating reduction in manpower at the Housing Department, it will not be possible to off-set the reduction in staff from the Parish of St Helier against the States overall manpower budget and an overall increase of a further 11 posts will be required.

2. Current situation

There has been a formal agreement with the Constable of St Helier and the Minister for Social Security that staff currently in post within the Community Services Team at the Parish of St Helier will be offered posts within the Social Security Department when Income Support is introduced. Staff who wish to transfer will be accommodated but some staff have indicated that they do not wish to transfer and the Parish have accepted that they will have to look at alternative positions in these circumstances.

3. Vacancies in the Parish of St Helier Community Services Team.

In making the request for additional manpower, it is likely that between now and May 2007 some posts within the Parish Community Services Team will become vacant and the Parish will only want to appoint replacement staff on short term contracts. This may lead to the posts being less attractive to some potentially suitable applicants thereby lessening the field, and possible quality, of applicants available.

To alleviate this problem, the Social Security Department request that the 11 posts are allocated immediately and that, when vacancies arise in the Community Services Team, they are advertised as, and appointed to, Civil Service posts, on the understanding that they are seconded to the Parish of St Helier until the Income Support Scheme is introduced. There is currently one such vacancy and that the Parish are keen to try to fill the post as soon as possible. Posts not used to fill these vacancies will be ‘frozen’ and used only to accommodate staff who transfer from the Parish at a later date.

4 Recommendations

The Social Security Department therefore recommends that the manpower budget is increased by a total of 19 full time equivalent posts, and that these posts can be used to appoint staff to the Community Services Team in advance of the official transfer of functions from the Parish of St Helier, as outlined above.

A Esterson

Controller

May 2006