Upper and Lower Limits of Salaries for Civil Servants Suspended on Reduced Pay

Ms Hazel Poa asked the Prime Minister what is the upper limit and lower limit of salaries for civil servants who are suspended on reduced pay.

Ms Hazel Poa asked the Prime Minister (a) since 2000, how many civil servants have been suspended on (i) full pay, (ii) less than full pay but more than half pay, (iii) half pay, (iv) less than half pay but excluding those on no pay and (v) no pay; and (b) what is the basis of suspending on no pay.

Under the Public Service (Disciplinary Proceedings) Regulations, interdiction is not meant to be a disciplinary penalty in and of itself. In the Civil Service, when officers have to be interdicted from duty while undergoing investigations, they are put on half-pay, subject to a floor of $1,200 and a ceiling of $8,500 per month.

Officers can be interdicted on no-pay from the point wrongdoing has been established by the relevant authorities, up to the conclusion of internal Civil Service disciplinary proceedings which may result in dismissal of the officers. Officers who have previously been interdicted on half-pay during investigations may also subsequently be put on no-pay interdiction after wrongdoing has been established by the relevant authorities. For instance, for cases involving Police and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau investigations, officers interdicted on half-pay initially will be interdicted on no-pay if the Court convicts them of the charges.

Based on available interdiction records, about 300 civil servants were interdicted from duty over the last 10 years since 2013. Of which, 10% were interdicted directly on no-pay as wrongdoing had been established at the point of interdiction. Around 30% were interdicted on half-pay initially and subsequently interdicted on no-pay. The remaining 60% have only half-pay interdiction records for various reasons, such as ongoing internal investigations, pending Court cases, no wrongdoing established, and resignation.