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Foreign allowances granted to civil servants in 2002-2008: Part B

Part B: Paid secondments

Published on: 10 September 2009

At the request of the House of Representatives, we have investigated the payments made to Dutch civil servants who worked at international organisations in the period 2002-2008. This report presents our findings on civil servants who were paid by the Dutch government during their secondments. We previously investigated unpaid secondments and published our audit report on them on 9 April 2009.

Foreign allowances granted to civil servants in 2002-2008 part B PDF, 957 kB

Conclusions

Government policy on international secondments seems to comprise little more than an intention to actively encourage them. In this light, a total of 504 secondments, both paid and unpaid, in a period of six and a half years seems to be a relatively small return. It is difficult to determine whether the policy is effective. There are inexplicable differences, for example, between the payments made to officials of comparable rank. There are also significant differences in the allowances granted by the various ministries. These differences are also present in the mobility allowances granted.

Recommendations

In the report, we recommend that the ministries:

  •  set concrete policy goals for international secondments;
  •  encourage the number of international secondments, for example by offering them as a matter of routine to civil servants after a period of five years;
  •  appoint a national secondment coordinator;
  • set up a desk to promote the appointment of Dutch candidates to important international positions;
  • develop databases of international vacancies;
  • include secondment information in the salary system and in the regular personnel and management information;
  • centralise decision-making at each ministry so that civil servants of the same rank are not seconded on different conditions. To do so, make use of the centralised expertise available at government level;
  • keep records of secondment conditions (e.g. salary and allowances) with the expertise centralised at government level;
  • document in advance when a financial allowance should be granted to an individual and on what grounds.
Response

In her response to the report, the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations undertook to reconsider the areas of government policy on international secondments that we raised in our report. She thought, though, that routinely offering international secondments was too ambitious. The minister said she would study the possibilities of recording secondment information in the salary system.

The minister said differences in payments were due to the need to tailor the secondments. She agreed with us that decision-making should be documented, also in individual cases. The minister will consider what can be done to have the regulations clarified.

 
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