Archive for August 1st, 2012
Triathlon Association gears up for race series
(Ogier): The 2012 Ogier Stroke & Stride is quickly approaching and sports enthusiasts are being encouraged to take part in what promises to be another great race series. Now in its 14th year, this highly anticipated event which is organised by the Cayman Islands Triathlon Association and sponsored by award winning offshore law and fiduciary services firm, Ogier, will give runners and swimmers the chance to participate in an exhilarating three-race series.
Nick Rogers, Ogier’s Managing Partner said: “We are delighted to once again support the Ogier Stroke and Stride event. We hope that many of Cayman's athletes and athletes at heart will come out and participate in this fun and hugely beneficial race. The proceeds will be donated to the Family Resource Centre for their Young Parenting Programme. I am grateful to all participants from the local community for supporting in past years and look forward to continued support for what has become a high profile event in Cayman’s sporting calendar.”
Taking place on Wednesday 8, 15, 22 August and starting at 5:45 pm, each race is a swim and run, with the swim building up from a 400 metre to an 800 metre length over the three weeks – each being followed by a two mile run. The entry fee for individuals is CI$15 per race, or CI$35 for all three and for team entry, CI$25 per race or CI$60 for all three. General registration is available on Tuesday, 7th August from 5.30 – 7.00 pm at My Bar – Sunset House. Online registration and additional information is also available by visiting www.triathlon.ky
The event attracts a wide range of abilities ranging from the die-hard swimming and running enthusiasts, to those who simply want to get out for some fun and exercise. It is not compulsory to participate in all three races and entrants can compete in whichever race they like. A range of varying prizes will be up for grabs following the final race, adding an extra incentive for people to come out and join in the fun.
Dedicated race organisers are committed to running a fun and safe event. The minimum age for entry is 13 and for anyone under the age of 18, entry must be made by an adult.
For more information, visit www.triathlon.ky or email info@triathlon.ky
PoCs slammed by info boss
(CNS): The government body responsible for managing the recruitment process of public sector workers failed to follow its own rules during the recent appointment of three top jobs. The revelation comes from the information commissioner, whose office uncovered the failure during a hearing after a records request was refused by the Portfolio of the Civil Service. Jennifer Dilbert ordered records to be disclosed in connection with the recent recruitment process of three chief officers but also made damning criticisms of the record keeping and handling of the request by the authority. She also expressed her concerns that important records that should have been available simply didn’t even exist.
“It is extraordinary that best practices in recruitment have not been followed in this case, by the very public authority that is responsible for enforcing these practices in other public authorities, and in relation to the recruitment of three very senior public officers,” the information boss said.
In January an applicant applied to the portfolio for records relating to the recruitment of Stran Bodden, Eric Bush and Alan Jones as chief officers, including the criteria used to select the shortlist, the score sheets of the various assessments, interview notes, thepanel report, the resumes of the candidates and other relevant information from the interview process.
Although some records were released when the applicant appealed, numerous problems were uncovered as well as many more documents, according to Dilbert’s report.
“There were numerous problems with the handling of this request,” she wrote in her 21st decision. “While PoCS initially insisted that the seven pages of records supplied to the Applicant in the first instance constituted a full response, this is negated by the fact that numerous other responsive records were subsequently identified.”
Dilbert found that the information manager didn’t advise the applicant of their right to an internal review or their right to appeal, among many other problems with the request, in particular the record keeping issues. She pointed out that every public body is required to maintain its records in a manner which facilitates access.
“It is evident that the record keeping relating to the responsive records in this case was deficient, and that the identification of records responsive to this FOI request suffered as a result," Dilbert found, adding that there was a lack of coordination in the identification and location of records with many being uncovered at the last minute.
A panel report from the interview process was not finalized and signed, which Dilbert said was “extraordinary” as best practices in recruitment had not been followed by the very authority responsible for enforcing such practices and in relation to the recruitment of three very senior public officers.
“This is even more disturbing as in this instance PoCS was charged with the responsibility of providing logistical support for the Deputy Governor’s Office for this very important interview process, and for retaining records arising from the process.”
She said it would be expected “that record keeping and indeed responses to FOI requests with respect to HR matters would be exemplary in this Portfolio, and would set the standard for other public authorities,” but this was definitely not the case.
Dilbert added that Peter Gough’s comments that key records “came to light” during the hearing served to heighten her concerns over the obvious anomalies which obviously occurred during the recruitment exercise and “lack of respect for” the FOI Law.
“Responsive records which have been promised seemed to have vanished, and others which were purported not to exist pop up unexpectedly, all of which makes a mockery of transparency and accountability and reflects very badly on the civil service, which already has serious credibility issues,’” she added in her report.
She criticised the handling of the request, which she said was “passed from pillar to post” further delaying the process, which also led to the applicant questioning whether records were deliberately being withheld.
“The concerns of the Applicant were further elevated in the light of the fact that from records received it was determined that one of the successful candidates scored only 1.05 points more than the unsuccessful candidate rated fourth in the exercise (133.965 vs 132.915),” Dilbert wrote. “Accurate record keeping is therefore all the more essential to support the final choice of candidate, and to endorse the validity of the recorded information.”
She added that the poor handling of the records relating to a crucial recruitment exercise, and the poor handling of the request, had the potential to reflect badly on the exercise itself.
‘The lesson to be learned here is that not only must public authorities act properly, they must also record their actions properly, and promote the disclosure of these records as much as possible,” the information commissioner noted. “The time and effort spent dealing with this FOI request could have been avoided with better record keeping and a culture of openness.”
Although the PoCS claimed to have acted in good faith during the process of the request and hearing, Dilbert said she could not agree with that claim.
“The experience of the Applicant and of this Office in dealing with the appeal does not reflect an acceptable approach to disclosure," she said as she slammed one of government’s key authorities. “I find it interesting that Mr (Ian) Fenton can speak so strongly about the open and fair manner in which the Portfolio has operated, when in fact, at the outset, the minimum response was offered and it was only after the intervention of the ICO via mediation that additional records were forthcoming.”
In her final decision Dilbert upheld the redaction of some information but overturned the Portfolio’s decision to withhold the resumes and proof of education of the three successful candidates and reversed the decision of the Office of the Deputy Governor to redact some information from the unfinished interview panel report.
The authority still has 45 calendar days to appeal Dilbert’s decision to the Grand Court and can keep the documents under wraps during that time, stretching the 30 day request, as is becoming increasingly common, into more than 8 months.