State Comptroller report slams PMO staffing regulations
Report states number of 'special' adviser and aide positions in Prime Minister's Office filled without tender increased sixfold in 15 years; claims Civil Service Commission did not properly evaluate job qualifications, compatibility of candidates
A State Comptroller report published on Tuesday slammed the staffing procedure at the Prime Minister's Office, stating that "special adviser and aide" positions were filled without prior evaluation of the job qualifications or compatibility of the candidates.
According to the Civil Service protocol, special advisers and aides can be appointed by the prime minister and cabinet ministers without a tender, and according to the sole discretion of the government official.
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In a special report on "the staffing of employees in the Prime Minister's Office," State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss noted that the number of special advisers and aides employed at the Prime Minster's Office has increased dramatically in the past 15 years, from nine in 1995 to 53 in 2011.
Furthermore, the report maintained that the Civil Service Commission approved these positions without obtaining tender exemptions as required by
law.
Hollander with Netanyahu (Photo: GPO)
According to the report findings, during Shimon Peres' term as prime minister in 1995, there were only nine special adviser and aide positions in the PMO. However, since Netanyahu took office in 1996, that number has increased sixfold.
In his first year in office, Netanyahu added seven such positions, while Ehud Barak, who served as prime minister for less than two years, added 17 more. During Ariel Sharon's tenure eight additional positions were added, while Ehud Olmert increased the number by 11. During Netanyahu's current term, one more special adviser position was added, bringing the total to 53.
From nine to 53 special positions. Barak, Netanyahu, Olmert and Peres (Photo: GPO)
In a response to the report findings, the Prime Minister's Office stated: "The State Comptroller's report is specifically addressing the years 1995-2010, a period that saw seven governments and five prime ministers take office.
"While previous governments saw an increase in the number of special adviser positions, since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to office the number of such positions has been reduce by six, despite an increase in the workload."
The Civil Service Commission stated in response: "The commission holds that the Prime Minister's Office is a unique bureau with regards to special adviser positions."
Former Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander said he rejects most of the report's findings, claiming that "the State Comptroller is advocating strengthening the professional clerkship on the expense of the prime minister's discretion," a view he claimed did not bode well with "the basic principles of democracy."
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