Staff at the grades mentioned in the Deputy's question are recruited directly by the Department by means of competitive interview. In the past four years, competitions were held for service officers and cleaners in June 1996 and a competition for night watchman was held in September 1998.
There were 25 applications for the service officer competition and 21 of the 23 candidates called for interview attended. All seven candidates placed on the panel were offered appointment, three refused the offer and four were appointed. Prior to the establishment of this panel, three candidates from the previous competition held in September 1994 were offered appointment and one accepted. The pay scale for this grade ranges from £171.62 for officers under the age of 19 to a maximum of £259.57 per week.
The Department received 25 applications for the competition for cleaners and 12 of the 13 called for interview attended. Of the six candidates placed on the panel, five refused full-time positions and one took up a temporary position. Prior to the establishment of this panel, three candidates from the previous competition held in September 1995 were offered and accepted appointments. The pay scale for this grade ranges from £171.62 for employees under the age of 19 to a maximum of £215.85 per week.
With regard to the night watchman competition, 37 of the 43 applicants were offered an interview. Of these, seven did not attend for interview, 16 were placed on the panel from which the three available positions were filled. The pay scale for these employees ranges from £193.70 to £240.22 per week.
I am satisfied that the competition process ensured that only applicants with appropriate abilities were selected for inclusion on these panels. The Department's experience of recruiting staff at these grades is that there has been a reasonable level of response to the competitions.