Wales Office | Swyddfa Cymru 
 
Gwydyr House 
Whitehall 
London 
SW1A 2NP 
 
 
Tŷ Gwydyr 
Whitehall 
Llundain 
SW1A 2NP 
 
Tel/Ffôn: 020 7270 0534 
Fax/Ffacs: 020 7270 6146  
E-mail/E-bost: [email address] 
 
  
 
 
                      
Ref:09FOI270 
                      Date: 01 September 2009   
 
David Jones  
[SMTP:[FOI #14887 email]] 
`  
 
 
Dear Mr Jones,  
 
Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act. I apologise for the late 
response in relation to this matter but we wanted to include the latest possible position (as 
we have had recruitment underway very recently) and then this was exacerbated by the 
absence of key staff. 
 
In your e mail dated 18 July 2009 you asked for some information concerning Wales Office 
recruitment in connection with the line in our Annual Report, which states that “The Wales 
Office complies with the requirements of The Civil Service Order in Council 1995, when 
recruiting its staff. Every individual is appointed is selected on merit on the basis of fair and 
open competition, apart from the cases where exceptions are permitted under articles 6 
and 7 of the Order.”                 
 
The Civil Service Commissioners'’ Code covers all externally advertised posts for entry 
into the Civil Service.  All externally advertised posts are managed by the host department 
of the Wales Office, namely the Ministry of Justice and not the Wales Office itself. 
  
Internally advertised posts (including the potential for promotion) are not covered by the 
Code but in the spirit of the Code and equality best practice all posts leading to promotion 
are advertised using a fair and open approach.   
 
As such no permanent staff have been substantively recruited or promoted in the last 3 
years without fair and open competition being applied. 
 
Some purely temporary promotions have been made, when a vacancy has had to be filled 
for operational reasons before job grading or long term organisation was yet confirmed, or 
otherwise more quickly than holding competitions would allow.  The only posts in which 
temporary promotions have persisted for 12 months or more are the two Deputy Director 
posts and the Principal Private Secretary post, which were filled by temporary promotions 
 
Cardiff Office  / Swyddfa Caerdydd  
Wales Office, Discovery House, Scott Harbour, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF10 4HA. 
Swyddfa Cymru, Tŷ Discovery, Harbwr Scott, Bae Caerdydd, Caerdydd, CF10 4HA. 
 
 Website: www.walesoffice.gov.uk / Gwefan: www.swyddfa.cymru.gov.uk 
 
 
 

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from May 2008.  Substantive promotions to these were made, following fair and open 
competition, at the end of July 2009. 
 
If you are unhappy with the decision made in relation to your request, you may ask for an 
internal review. You should contact Alan Cogbill, Director of the Wales Office at the above 
address if you wish to complain.  
 
If you are not content with the outcome of any internal review, you have the right to apply 
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner 
can be contacted at: 
 
 
Information Commissioner’s Office  
Wycliffe House  
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF 
 
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact us at the above address. Please 
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications. 
 
Wales Office 
 

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