People Resourcing and Compliance Directorate
The People Resourcing and Compliance Directorate, within the People and Standards Division (P&SD), is responsible for establishing regulations, policies, guidelines and procedures in the fields of recruitment, selection, appointment, transfer, promotion and progression within the Public Administration. This role is carried out on behalf of the Principal Permanent Secretary and, where applicable, in consultation with the Public Service Commission and in line with pertinent legislation. The Directorate played a central role in the formulation of more streamlined and delegated processes as contemplated in the Public Administration Act, leading to the issue of Directive 7, which came into force on 27 January 2014, and Directives 10 and 9, which both came into force on 1st February 2016. Directive 7 delegated the recruitment process within entities of the Public Sector. Directives 10 and 9 delegated to line Ministries the process of HR Planning and of Public Service selection and appointment following competition, so that Ministries are no longer obliged to seek the approval of the central authorities before each and every stage of the process. As from 1st April 2016, the Directorate delegated other Public Service processes, hitherto carried out centrally, concerning progressions, promotions arising from the provisions of Sectoral Agreements (both of General Service as well as Departmental Grades), award of indefinite status in terms of pertinent legislation, appointment through a direct recommendation and renewals thereof. Furthermore, as from 10th March 2021, authority was delegated to Permanent Secretaries to make promotion and assimilation in terms of the respective Agreement, withhold increments/progression/promotion arising from such Agreement where justified, extend/renew appointments (up to scale 6) initially made through a direct recommendation to PSC and hence not involving competition, discretion to approve postponement of such appointments and discretion to approve requests for reversion to the former indefinite appointment after the expiry of the probationary/trial period.
Compliance
The Directorate supports, in terms of Directives 10/10.1 and 7/7.1/7.2, the Coordinating Committee on strategic HR Planning in the Public Service and across public entities and liaises between ministries/departments/public entities and the Budget Office within the ministry responsible for Finance.
A compliance function is exercised through regular checks effected within the Public Service and public entities on the adherence of standing rules and regulations and delegated processes in accordance with Directives 9/9.1 and 7/7.1/7.2 respectively, on the monitoring of additional headcount vis-à-vis actual staff in place and approved three-year HR Plans, on the payment of salary packages in accordance with Sectoral/Collective Agreements and IRU Grading and Salary Structures in force and on established time-frames on HR processes as per Directive 8.1. These exercises are performed through the DAKAR payroll system within the Public Service and on the actual payroll requested by this Office from the public entity.
The monitoring and compliance role extends to assessment on the basis of the provisions of the Manual on the Selection and Appointment Process under Delegated Authority (annexed to Directive 9/9.1), the Manual for Public Sector Entities – Delegation of Recruitment Approval (annexed to Directive 7/7.1/7.2) and the Manual on Resourcing Policies and Procedures.
A compliance role is also exercised randomly on the content of calls for applications/expressions of interest to be issued within the Public Service and guidance is given on this parallel role in the case of public entities.
On the operational front, the Directorate focuses on non-delegated regular procedures which are performed at central level. Within the Public Service sphere, the directorate is directly responsible for the recruitment of officers in the General Service Class (clerical, executive and middle/senior management grades), the Messengerial Class and other posts/positions which are filled through central calls for application across the Service, and for the deployment of such officers within Ministries and line Departments. The directorate processes requests for extensions of service beyond age 65; non-delegated assimilations in grades; non-delegated transfers/detailing/revocation of detailing orders; transfers of Gozo-domiciled officers; tenure of officers in Secretariats/Ambassadors/Directorships with entities of detailed public officers; non-delegated acting appointments; Ministry secretariat contracts and re-employment, re-instatement, re-integration and temporary employment on parole. Within the wider Public Sector sphere, the Directorate facilitates and processes the secondment of public employees from public entities to perform duties within the Public Service and the re-deployment of public employees amongst entities, in terms of article 16 of the Employment and Training Services Act, for effective service delivery across the Public Administration.
