Mr. Speaker, I have a return to Written Question 1-16(5), asked by Mr. Bromley to Human Resources Minister Robert R. McLeod on March 1, 2010, regarding direct appointments to staff positions.
Later today, at the appropriate time, I will be tabling Direct Appointments for April 2008 to March 2009. This document lists the number of direct appointments made in each department during the fiscal year to date and fiscal year 2008-2009.
Departments request Cabinet’s approval for direct appointments under the relevant guidelines found in Appendix 4, Guidelines and Format for Recommending Direct Appointments of the Executive Council Submissions Handbook. Cabinet approval is required prior to any direct appointments to the public service.
The Department of Human Resources is unable to keep a record of the number of vacant positions by the dates a direct appointment is made.
While the Department of Human Resources reviews direct appointments, Ministers responsible for departments submit them to Cabinet for approval.
The Department of Human resources also does not keep a record of the number of direct appointments made after the staging of competitive staffing actions. As per Cabinet’s Guidelines and Format for Recommending Direct Appointments, departments must demonstrate why the open competition process is not expected to maximize benefits to the Government of the Northwest Territories with respect to the staffing of a position.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
