Introduction

The Public Service Commission was set up by the Public Services Commission Act 2015 and is the employing authority for all civil servants on the Isle of Man. The Civil Service Amendment Act 2007 changed the constitution of the Public Service Commission and the appointment of its members.

Appointed directly by the Chief Minister, the Commission is a statutory body made up of five members as follows:

• a political Chairperson, who must be a member of Tynwald
• a political Vice-Chairperson, who must be a member of Tynwald
• three non Tynwald members and
• the Chief Secretary (no longer an ex-officio member) who will attend meetings as an adviser and Head of the Civil Service

Last updated 23 January 2009 – Amendment No 08-003

Public Services Commission Act 2015

As the employing authority for all civil servants, the Commission's responsibilities include:

1. fixing the establishment (that is the number and grades of all civil service posts) required by each department
2. arranging for the recruitment and training of all civil servants
3. appointing, promoting and transferring civil servants in and between departments as necessary
4. negotiating the scales and rates of pay and other terms and conditions of service for all civil servants
5. making arrangements for the welfare of civil servants
6. dismissing civil servants for good cause

The Commission delegates the day to day management of staff to departments, while the recruitment for all but Chief Executive Officer appointments is delegated jointly to the Office of Human Resources and departmental officers.

The Commission meets on a monthly basis and is supported by secretariat services provided by the Office of Human Resources.

All civil servants are officers of the Crown and the first duty of a civil servant is to give his or her undivided allegiance to the State at all times and on occasions when the State has a claim on his or her services.

Further information regarding the conduct of civil servants can be found at Regulation A2 and a copy of the Civil Service Code can be found in the Civil Service Regulations Handbook along with two other relevant documents as follows:

• Provision of Information to Members of Tynwald and
• Role of Members of Government Departments

For ease of reference, the following terms contained within these Regulations, are defined as follows:

A) Accounting Officer

For the purpose of consistency, the term Accounting Officer is used throughout the Civil Service Regulations to refer to both Chief Executive Officers and Chief Officers. To clarify this, the Chief Executive Officer - in relation to a department, is the officer designated as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Chief Officer - in relation to a department, is the most senior officer in that department.

The role and responsibilities of Accounting Officers are detailed within the Financial Regulations (FD2) but the main responsibilities are as follows:

1. ensuring that financial procedures are followed and that accounting records are maintained properly both in accordance with Treasury instructions and financial regulation for vote accounting purposes and in a form suited for management purposes
   
   
2. ensuring that public funds are properly and well managed and that departmental and independent checks are made of cash balances, equipment and property held by the department
   
   
3. ensuring that in the consideration of policy proposals relating to expenditure or income all relevant financial considerations are taken into account and brought to the attention of the Minister or Board
   
   
4. ensuring that the department has appropriate systems so that managers at all levels have a clear view of their objectives and the means to assess and, whenever possible, measure outputs or performance in relation to those objectives
   
   
5. ensuring that all managers are given well defined responsibilities for making the best use of resources including a critical scrutiny of output and value for money
   
   
6. ensuring that managers have the information about costs, training and the availability of expert advice in order to discharge their responsibilities effectively
   
   
7. monitoring expenditure against vote and other control totals (including budgets where they exist) within the estimates, ensuring compliance with the Financial Regulations) and ensuring that robust control systems are in place including the setting of objectives and evaluation systems to review performance against them

B) Department - all Government Departments within the meaning of the Treasury Act 1985, all Statutory Boards and Offices where civil servants are employed. For the purpose of consistency, the term 'department' is used throughout the Civil Service Regulations.

C) Civil Servant - the term 'civil servant' means a member of the Isle of Man Civil Service. A civil servant is both an officer of the Crown and a public servant as defined in the Civil Service Act 1990 and the Civil Service Amendment Act 2007. A list of ‘Offices and employments outside the Civil Service’ can be found at Schedule 1 of the Civil Service Act 1990 (as amended by the Civil Service Amendment Act 2007). A copy of the 1990 Act and Amendment Act 2007 can be found in the Civil Service Regulations Handbook.

Only the masculine pronoun has been used throughout these Regulations, but all Regulations apply equally to both male and female civil servants. Similarly, only singular forms have been used but any such references include the plural where appropriate.

Last amended 23 January 2009 - Amendment No. 08-003

The Standing Committee on Expenditure and Public Accounts which is commonly referred to at the Public Accounts Committee, (PAC), was established by Tynwald in 1982.

Civil servants who are required to appear before the PAC should refer to the Guidance Notes for Civil Servants appearing before the Public Accounts Committee, which can be found in the Civil Service Regulations Handbook.

The Isle of Man Civil Service Regulations are made by the Public Service Commission pursuant to the authority given to it by virtue of Section 4 (5) of the Civil Service Act 1990 (as amended by the Civil Service Amendment Act 2007), which states that: 

'The Commission may make regulations as to the conditions of service of civil servants.'

These Regulations, together with the letters confirming the offer of appointment to successful applicants for civil service posts, set out the terms and conditions of service of civil servants appointed by the Public Service Commission.

They are an integral part of the conditions of service for all civil servants and therefore it is a key duty of managers to:

1. give all civil servants right of free and ready access to a copy of the Regulations without having to give a reason for the request
   
   
2. ensure that all copies of the Regulations are updated promptly in accordance with any amendments issued by the Office of Human Resources

Within these Regulations, reference is made to documents contained within the Civil Service Regulations Handbook. The Regulations Handbook is a supplement to these Regulations and contains policies, guidance notes and further information.

If you have any queries about the application or interpretation of these Regulations, please seek advice from the Office of Human Resources.

All written correspondence for the Public Services Commission should be addressed to the Secretary of the Public Services Commission at the following address: