PAC angry over clerk's transfer

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have met to discuss their response to the proposed transfer of committee clerk Michael Rickard to another post.

The Public Accounts Committee met at lunchtime today to discuss the move, which they believe will disrupt the body's continuity and interrupt work on three current reports.

Michael Rickard, a civil servant working for the civil service's Assembly Secretariat, is set to be moved to a similar post in the assembly. He had been working with the committee for the past two years.

The transfer is believed to form part a general policy by the civil service to rotate staff in order to gain experience in various posts.

However, the committee agreed unanimously to reject a compromise by the Assembly Secretariat to delay Mr Rickard's transfer for three months.

John Dallat, an SDLP member of the PAC, said that the committee has six additional reports at various stages of completion and, in order to ensure reports of a high standard, there must be continuity.

He called on the Assembly Secretariat to introduce a consultation period for the committee to have a say in the disposal of support staff.

After the meeting, Mr Dallat said that he hoped "common sense" would prevail over the proposed switch.

He added: "This must not develop into a tug-of-war between officials and elected representatives but should be seen as a genuine appeal to recognise the highly specialised work of the Public Accounts Committee and the need for continuity among support staff."

Mr Dallat also called for the bodies involved to sit down and "hammer out" arrangements for the availability of staff within the civil service.

The Alliance Party's Seamus Close expressed his disappointment at the move, saying the PAC had been "doing good work and is a winning team".

(GMcG)