CO129-600-2 Salaries Commission- proposed Public Services Commission 20-1-1948 - 1-3-1948 — Page 87

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In anticipation of the reoccupation of Malaya a directive on the Public Services prescribed the establishment of a Public Service Commission on somewhat similar lines to the Ceylon body. The main difference from the functions of the Ceylon body was that for the Malayan Union and Singapore it was intended that conditions of service for public officers should be prescribed in Public Service Regulations made on the advice of the Public Service Commission. No steps have as yet been taken towards setting up the Public Service Commissions in Malaya.

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In some Colonies where Public Service Commissions have not been set up appointments boards and promotion boards have been constituted; the former mainly for the purpose of applying examination standards for clerical and subordinate staff of a class customarily employed in more than one department of the Government.

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The two main questions that will confront Governors in setting up a public service commission are settling its composition and functions; and these two questions are to some extent interdependent. Some of the considerations are set out below:-

(1) Functions

It will be necessary to decide in each Colony with which of the following subjects the Commission should deal, viz. appointments to the public service, promotions, descipline, and conditions of service.

(a) Appointments

It is most desirable that all permanent appointments to the public service, other than purely subordinate appointments, should be made through an independent body, which is in a position not only to secure the observance of high and uniform standards throughout the service but also to withstand political pressure or private patronage. It is therefore most important that all Colonies should have a Public Service Commission for this purpose, whatever other functions the Commission may discharge.

(b) Promotions

In principle it is possible for a Public Service Commission to deal with all promotions within the public service, either directly or through dependent Committees. It would, however, manifestly be impracticable for a Commission with a small membership to deal direct with large numbers of promotions and if their responsibility were delegated, much of the apparent advantage of entrusting promotions to the Commission would be lost. It is probably advisable also that minor promotions should continue to be dealt with departmentally, though some change in existing machinery may be necessary in order to give the service and the public confidence in the fairness of the system. It seems desirable that Promotions Boards should be set up in all departments (including the Administration) consisting of a number of senior officers of the department concerned who should be vested with a measure of formal authority to make recommendations on promotions up to a prescribed maximum. The details of procedure may vary according to local conditions; but where the Secretary of State devolves his authority for promotion he would wish to be assured that some suitable

machinery