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 Superscale D/Grade 7 and above in the Civil Service. The PSC also appoints/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 2019, the PSC considered 30 candidates and found 25 suitable for the Administrative Service. The PSC considered 32 officers for promotion to Superscale D/Grade 7 and above, including those in the Administrative Service. Of these, 27 officers were promoted.

The PSC considered and appointed one officer at Superscale Grade 9 and above in the Auditing Service. The PSC considered two officers and found them suitable for promotion to Superscale Grade 9 and above in the Auditing Service. The PSC also considered two officers below Superscale Grade 9 who did not meet the promotion and supplementary promotion rules, and found them suitable for promotion.

Appointment and Promotion of Chief Executive Officers of Statutory Boards

The PSC considers the suitability of candidates for appointment as Chief Executive Officers of Statutory Boards, where the jobs are at an equivalent grade to senior management ranks in the Civil Service (i.e. Superscale D/Grade 7 and above). The PSC also considers the suitability of the Chief Executive Officers for promotion to Superscale D/Grade 7 and above.

In 2019, the PSC considered and concurred with the agencies’ recommendation to

a) appoint 24 officers as Chief Executive Officers;

b) appoint 41 officers (two of the officers were appointed twice within the year) as Acting Chief Executive Officers;

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

Appeals

In 2019, the PSC did not consider any further appeals for promotion/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 (“the Regulations”).

b) The Public Service Commission (Delegation of Disciplinary Functions) Directions.

The PSC has delegated to the Permanent Secretaries, part of its functions pertaining to the discipline of officers for minor misconduct, and

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

The PSC has delegated to the Commissioner of Prisons, part of its functions pertaining to the discipline of junior Prisons Officers for minor misconduct.

Cases under the latter two categories are collectively known as being under “the Directions”. The disciplinary process ensures that officers are treated fairly, regardless of rank or seniority.

In 2019, 127 new disciplinary cases were reported to the PSC. Together with 81 cases that were brought forward from 2018, the PSC processed a total of 208 cases in the year. Of these cases, 98 were completed, including 24 cases which were completed under the Regulations and 50 cases which were completed under the Directions. Formal disciplinary action was not instituted against the officers in the remaining 24 cases.

The most common types of misconduct for cases completed in 2019 under the Regulations were Dishonesty / Embezzlement / Criminal Breach of Trust, Sexual Offences / Inappropriate Behaviour, Indebtedness, and Insubordination / Non-Compliance of Orders. Two-thirds of all officers disciplined under the Regulations were dismissed or retired in the public interest at the conclusion of the disciplinary proceedings against them. Details of the 24 cases completed under the Regulations in 2019 are in Table 1.