APPOINTMENTS, PROMOTIONS, APPEALS AND DISCIPLINARY CASES

Appointments and Promotions

The PSC is the approving authority for the appointment of candidates to the Administrative Service and the promotion of these officers to Grade 7 and above. The PSC also appoints and promotes officers to Superscale Grade 9 and above in the Auditing Service, and to Superscale D/Grade 7 and above in the rest of the Civil Service.

In 2023, the PSC considered 23 candidates and found 21 suitable for appointment to the Administrative Service.

The PSC approved 38 officers for promotion to Superscale D/Grade 7 and above, including those in the Administrative Service.

There were no appointments nor promotions into and within Superscale grades in the Auditing Service.

Appointments and Promotions of Chief Executive Officers of Statutory Boards

The PSC considers the suitability of candidates for appointment as Chief Executive Officers of Statutory Boards and subsequent renewals. The PSC also considers the suitability of the Chief Executive Officers for promotion to Superscale D/Grade 7 and above.

In 2023, the PSC considered and concurred with the agencies’ recommendation to:

a)    appoint 17 officers as new Chief Executive Officers;

b)    renew the terms of 18 existing Chief Executive Officers;

c)     appoint or extend 62 officers as Acting Chief Executive Officers; and

d)    promote three Chief Executive Officers to Superscale D/Grade 7 and above.

Appeals

In 2023, the PSC considered one further appeal against termination under the Public Service (Personnel Boards and Appeals Board) Regulations.

Discipline

The PSC is vested with the disciplinary control of civil servants under Article 110(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore. Civil servants who misconduct themselves are dealt with under one of the three disciplinary procedures^ listed below:

a) The Public Service (Disciplinary Proceedings) Regulations 2023 (“the Regulations”);

b) The Public Service Commission (Delegation of Disciplinary Functions) Directions (“the Directions”);

c) The Public Service Commission (Prison Officers) (Disciplinary Proceedings – Delegation of Functions) Directions (“the Prisons Directions”).

Cases under the latter two categories are collectively known as being under “the Directions”.

^Officers may be disciplined under the Regulations when it involves serious misconduct, where the possible penalties include a dismissal or a demotion. For less serious misconduct, officers may be disciplined under the Directions or Prison Directions, as appropriate. The PSC has delegated to the Permanent Secretaries / Commissioner of Prisons part of its functions pertaining to the discipline of officers for minor misconduct.

The revised disciplinary legislation was implemented in 2023. A total of 136 new disciplinary cases were reported to the PSC in 2023. Together with 95 cases that were brought forward from previous years, the PSC processed a total of 231 cases in the year. 149 cases (65%) were completed. Of these completed cases, 60 cases were completed under the Regulations, 71 cases were completed under the Directions, and no formal disciplinary action was instituted against the officers in the remaining 18 cases.

The most common types of misconduct cases completed under the Regulations were Drug Offences and Non-Compliance of Orders. Table 1 shows the breakdown of the 60 cases completed under the Regulations.