Meanwhile, government officials continue to avoid questions about who was accountable for granting the perk and why the public were not told about it.
After initially denying that any States employee at all had been granted entitled status [full housing qualifications], Mr Parker’s communications director Stephen Hardwick reversed his position, saying that he had ‘made a mistake’. But when asked why such an important and controversial decision had not been actively communicated to the public, Mr Hardwick failed to provide an answer.
With the news breaking during Chief Minister John Le Fondré’s three-week summer holiday, political accountability for the unprecedented decision remains unclear.
In the absence of any comment from Senator Le Fondré on what action he may wish to take, the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel, of which he was until recently the chairman, and with whom he has pledged to work closely and inclusively, have issued a strongly worded statement condemning the deal with Mr Parker.
The panel, whose remit is to scrutinise the work of the Chief Minister’s Department and the States Employment Board, has called for more stringent regulations to prevent a repeat of this kind of deal-making.
‘We recommend that tougher rules are put in place so that decisions of this nature are not made again,’ they said.
‘We would also like to know whether any other similar deals have been offered. While we appreciate the importance of this particular role, five years’ “satisfactory service” is a vague term that could ensure even the most mediocre performance gains a retirement with considerable tax advantages. In circumstances where the private sector are struggling to recruit, every Island employer is focused on improving productivity, and the public sector should be no different.’
The decision to grant Mr Parker entitled status was published, in line with the government’s obligations, in the roster of its routine ministerial decisions. These documents, which are required by the States to ‘ensure that the proper degree of information is recorded’, need to be searched for on the government website. Bringing such decisions to the general attention of the public is the role of the States’ communications division, which has recently reiterated its mission to create ‘a pipeline of proactive, positive stories’ to the public.
Following contradictory responses from the States communications office when the JEP was breaking the news of Mr Parker’s deal, follow-up inquiries have remained unanswered.
At the time of going to press, no explanations had been offered concerning perceptions that the government had failed to take accountability for the deal that was done.
In response to a dozen different questions about political accountability and communications decision-making, a States spokesperson issued the following statement: ‘The ministerial decision was made nine months ago, on 3 October 2017, after a request from the States Employment Board.
‘The decision was published on the government website, as are all ministerial decisions, and was therefore available for Islanders, States Members and others to view.
‘This decision was an exceptional one and no other public servant has been given entitled status without having been resident for the requisite number of years.’
