Mr. Robert Watt:

As I mentioned and we may have set out in the report, there are many forms of secondment between the Civil Service and the wider public service for a variety of purposes. Some of them are for fixed terms and some are open. In the main, the receiving organisation pays the salary. That is not always the case, but it is normally. This is a function of changes that have taken place over the past ten years or more whereby we have tried to have a greater flow between different parts of the wider service. Previously, the Civil Service was closed in terms of recruitment and moving people during different stages of their careers. We have tried to open it up. I almost always welcome proposals for secondments. They generally work out well for the receiving organisation and the sending organisation. They tend to work well for individuals as well, allowing them to try something else. In my experience, they have generally been positive.