The Governor, Mr George Fergusson, said today that new provisions would be issued shortly covering the relationship between the Public Service Commission and senior civil servants. These would formalise the annual evaluation and reporting structure, with the independent Public Service Commission taking responsibility for the evaluations, consulting the Premier and relevant Ministers as well as other stakeholders. The Regulations are now near completion, subject to further consultation with Cabinet and the BPSU.

Mr Fergusson said: “I hope these amendments will be broadly welcomed – they follow calls from across the community, including unions and the wider public, for accountability in this area to be clearer. They will be firmly based on the principles of a non-political civil service and are part of the continuing modernisation of public services here, in line with similar processes around the world.”