Civil Service accountability to the Ziu

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

May 20, 2019 9:18:57 GMT -6 Sir Alexandreu Davinescu said:

And the Royal Civil Service isn't subject to terps, just fyi.

But I think we should have a means whereby legislators can call Civil Servants, from the SoS downwards, before us for accountability purposes.

[Sir Alexandreu Davinescu]

Being in the Royal Civil Service is important, difficult, and often thankless. Seldom, if ever, does the Scribe get recognition or thanks for updating l'Annuntzia dels Legeux. The Treasurer receives little or none for the huge responsibility of caretaking the entire Treasury. And while people often thank the SoS, they also have the hardest and most important job in the country. To the extent that you want to write a bill so they can be summoned to the Ziu carpet like a member of Government, I have to say that I am not opposed, but that I urge you to be sure the result is respectful of the distinction between the two roles.

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

May 21, 2019 5:16:27 GMT -6 Sir Alexandreu Davinescu said:

Being in the Royal Civil Service is important, difficult, and often thankless. Seldom, if ever, does the Scribe get recognition or thanks for updating l'Annuntzia dels Legeux. The Treasurer receives little or none for the huge responsibility of caretaking the entire Treasury. And while people often thank the SoS, they also have the hardest and most important job in the country. To the extent that you want to write a bill so they can be summoned to the Ziu carpet like a member of Government, I have to say that I am not opposed, but that I urge you to be sure the result is respectful of the distinction between the two roles.

The rhetoric here is eyebrow-raising - "summoned to the carpet", as if being asked questions by elected representatives of the people was humiliation, rather than necessary communication and accountability.

I have come across elsewhere the concept of "dictatorship of the doers" - the idea that people who have the time and energy to carry out a task should just be left to get on with it. I don't like the idea because it seems exclusionary and elitist. We just found out that a Senator has no right to ask the SoS to publicly elucidate a matter of constitutional law, for example.

However, I am certainly mindful of the point that elected officials asking questions of the Civil Service should be an oversight rather than political role and thus the same format as Terpelaziuns would be inappropriate. Maybe the best way to go about it would be to set up a Joint Ziu Committee for Oversight of the Royal Civil Service, with powers to invite civil servants in to give testimony?

[Lüc da Schir]

I agree with cxhn. Schivâ there, and I'd be fine with a committee - I generally think they're pretty efficient ways to do work - but I'd be equally fine with either presiding officer, acting on a petition from a certain X% of members, having the power to invite *anyone*, including civil servants but also any other official, to offer testimony before their own House (or both jointly, if both houses agree).

[Miestrâ Schivâ, UrN]

If people are happy, we can combine this discussion with the one about "who recommends the appointment of the SoS" that the King raised. IMHO it's the same issue: how do elected officials conduct hiring, firing, and oversight of civil servants.