EDINBURGH (January 13): The Scottish Government says it will align Civil Service bank card spending policies with the United Kingdom Government's more rigorous protocols, following a review.
The changes will see monthly spending limits for electronic purchase cards (ePCs) tightened and Civil Servants asked to pay back inappropriate spending.
First Minister, Humza Yousaf ordered a review in August after it emerged that nearly 60,000 transactions were made on Government bank cards, adding up to more than £6 million ($A11.3 million).
The internal audit of credit card spending by Civil Servants in the Scottish Government looked into 194 transactions that were questioned in the media — including yoga classes, nail varnish and Edinburgh Festival tickets — and found all but one was appropriate under the current ePC policy.
The inappropriate payment was a takeaway meal fraudulently purchased by someone who was not the card user.
However, the audit found opportunities for improving the current protocol, including reviewing what can and cannot be purchased through ePC, beefing up training and reassessing how many cardholders are needed.
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AI ‘will ease UK bureaucracy’s workload’
LONDON (January 13): United Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden said the Civil Service would soon be applying artificial intelligence to all its operations and services.
“Making the best use of AI will allow officials who feel stifled by systems or bogged down by bureaucracy to get on with their work,” Mr Dowden said.
“Some Public Servants waste a whole working day each week on administration. I’ve worked in Government for many years, and I know the frustrations.”
He said applying AI technologies to routine tasks would restore productivity gains to the public sector and result in taxpayer savings estimated to be worth billions.
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Malaysian pay system overhaul ‘top priority’
KUALA LUMPUR (January 13): The new Director-General of Malaysia’s Public Service Department said a review of the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA) would be his top priority.
Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said it was shocking that the SSPA had not had a review since 2012.
In November, Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim said the Government expected to unveil a fresh set of guidelines for the SSPA by the end of 2024.
Mr Wan Ahmad Dahlan said he would also focus on the digitalisation of the Public Service “something that must be embraced by Civil Servants in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence”.
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Deadlock in Irish pay talks
DUBLIN (January 14): Talks intended to produce a new Irish public sector pay deal have broken up without agreement after unions rejected what they described as extremely disappointing offers from the Government.
Minister for Public Expenditure, Paschal Donohoe described the rejection of a €2.9 billion ($A4.7 billion) public pay offer as a “real pity”. He said the offer would allow for pay increases for Public Servants of 8.5 per cent over 2½ years, with lower-paid workers benefitting to the tune of 12 per cent.
Unions sought basic increases totalling 12.5 per cent for all the workers they represented.
No date for a resumption of the talks was agreed before the parties left the Workplace Relations Commission, with officials from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform reported to have asked for a short break before any further meetings take place.
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New deal ‘will help attract workers’
WINNIPEG (January 15): Around 11,500 Civil Service workers in the Canadian Province of Manitoba could soon have a new pay and conditions deal.
The agreement, which still needs to be ratified, is for four years and would give workers a 14 per cent wage increase over that period, along with a one-time lump-sum signing bonus of $C1800 ($A2000) per full-time employee and improvements to health benefits.
President of the Manitoba Government and General Employee Union, Kyle Ross said the agreement would help fix the Civil Service staffing crisis by improving the Province’s ability to recruit and retain skilled workers.
He noted there was currently a 30 per cent vacancy rate in the Provincial bureaucracy.
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Body cameras to South Korean police
SEOUL (January 14): South Korea lawmakers have agreed to adopt body cameras for police officers to better manage violent crimes, at the same time stipulating measures to ensure the protection of personal information.
A partial revision to the Performance of Duties by Police Officers Act has passed the National Assembly. The changes set out the basis for the legal introduction of body cameras and specific standards for use.
Under the revision, body cameras will be classified as official police equipment and distributed through the Government Budget. Previously, police officers used body cameras at their own expense for purposes such as crime prevention and evidence collection.
However, their use is restricted to arrests, when proven necessary for an investigation, and for stopping a criminal act, likely to endanger life.
A regular update of Public Service news and events from around the world.
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