SDLP urges change in recruitment to civil service in fair employment submission

THE SDLP has urged more open competition for senior civil service posts in Northern Ireland to try to ensure greater Catholic representation in these decision making positions.

The party also called for harsher penalties against people guilty of job discrimination.

The SDLP, in its submission to a fair employment legislation review, also suggested the decentralisation from Belfast of at least one Northern Ireland Office department, possibly the Department of Health and Social Services.

Such decentralisation to a disadvantaged area might assist Catholic employment prospects, the party indicated in its submission to the review, which is being conducted by the Standing Advisory Committee on Human Rights in the North.

The SDLP said that while fair employment procedures had been adopted in the Northern civil service, the rate and scale of change within the service was still a major cause for concern.

Catholics held less than a quarter of the senior decision making posts in the service. The "black of suitable candidates" for senior posts could be improved to some degree if these posts allowed open competition from outside the service.

"The present restrictive policy of excluding non Commonwealth citizens for applying for certain posts should be ended as it is discriminatory against citizens of the Republic of Ireland, and contributes to keeping the number of Catholic applicants for these posts low," the submission added.

The SDLP also urged greater accountability from those who have breached fair employment legislation. The Fair Employment Tribunal, which decides fair employment cases, should have the power to instruct a company to remove an offending individual from personnel duties.

The party also urged that the review examine the extent to which the supply of goods and services could be brought within the scope of fair employment legislation. This would help ensure that firms perceived to be from one side of the community or the other could not be discriminated against in terms of winning contracts.

The fair employment review is due to be concluded by the autumn.