Close examination needed at CPO office

Asked by Fitzgerald Hinds, Chairman of the Joint Select Committee on National Security inquiring into the staffing deficiencies of the DPP’s Office yesterday when the requests for confirmation were received, Chief Personnel Officer Beresford Riley said, “I do not have that information.” Asked if they requests were made over two years ago, he said, he could not dispute that, and that all the requests for classification were not made at one time.

It would not surprise him “totally” if the requests had been made two years ago, Riley said, “because we are understaffed just as many others in the public service.” While the Personnel Department was trying to ensure that it carries out its functions, he said, “We do not have the capacity to treat with all at this time.” Hinds remarked, “You too need support. Interesting but not strange. You are saying that you are unable to help because you have similar problems.” Expressing disappointment at the response from the CPO, Hinds suggested that a close examination of the office of the CPO was needed.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Ingrid Seerattan said the issue of classification of the officers was sent to the Personnel Department in 2014 following the decision to retain a number of contract staff on the establishment.

Their designation were to be reclassified from legal officers to legal counsel.

She said there was need for a formal settlement of the terms and conditions of work from the Office of the CPO for the contract staff who would have been placed on the establishment.

In the change in the system of employment, she said that some staff would have left the work by the time the terms and conditions were finalised and some staff would have been underpaid or overpaid.

When the terms and conditions come from the CPO, she said, “you have issues.” The classification was based on the recommendation of the DPP, Seerattan said, to move away from employing contract staff to having them placed on the regular establishment.

“We have been working to have those positions filled.

Some were not filled because of lack of spatial accommodation,” she said.

Based on the request of the Office of the DPP, Seerattan said that priority was given to filling senior appointments because of the need, though a number of junior appointments were also made.