Recruitment competitions where the Guaranteed Interview Scheme has been available to applicants since the scheme was introduced by the Northern Ireland Assembly
Information Standards Freedom of Information Response
Our Ref: FoI 30-21
23 August 2021
Freedom of Information Act 2000
I can confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission holds information relevant to your request of 6 August 2021. In your request you asked for the following information:
“1. For each year up to date, please confirm the total number of recruitment competitions where the Guaranteed Interview Scheme has been available to applicants since the scheme was introduced by NIA;
2.For each year up to date, please confirm the total number of applicants who have applied for posts using the Guaranteed Interview Scheme;
3.For each year up to date, please confirm the total number of applicants who were interviewed for posts as a result of the Guaranteed Interview Scheme;
and
4.For each year up to date, please confirm the total number of applicants that were successful at interview who had used the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.”
Please find a response to your questions attached at Appendix A.
If you feel that the information we have provided does not meet your request fully, please contact this office as soon as possible. You have the right to request a formal review by the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission and if you wish to do so, please write to me at the above address.
If after such an internal review you are still unhappy with the response, you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF who will undertake an independent review.
The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission may publish details of your FOI request and our official response within the organisational disclosure log. The request will be completely anonymised and you will not be identified in any way. This is to meet the requirements as laid out by in the agreed publication scheme with the Information Commissioners’ Office.
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above.
Yours sincerely
INFORMATION STANDARDS
Appendix A
1. “For each year up to date, please confirm the total number of recruitment competitions where the Guaranteed Interview Scheme has been available to applicants since the scheme was introduced by NIA;”
The Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) has been developed for applicants with disabilities or those with a long-term impairment or health condition, that is expected to last for at least 12 months and which means that they cannot meet all of the shortlisting criteria. It was introduced in December 2011 and all recruitment competitions with shortlisting criteria or those that have used an assessment or test as a shortlisting tool have offered GIS to applicants.
If applying under GIS, provided that the applicant has demonstrated in their application form that they meet the essential criteria for the role, the applicant will be invited to interview.
The number of recruitment competitions where Guaranteed Interview Scheme was available to applicants for each year up to date is as follows;
2011 - 1
2012 - 5
2013 - 7
2014 - 9
2015 - 6
2016 - 8
2017 - 5
2018 - 0
2019 - 4
2020 - 14
2021 - 11
2. For each year up to date, please confirm the total number of applicants Who have applied for posts using the Guaranteed Interview Scheme;
The total number of applicants who have applied for posts using the GIS is as follows:
2011 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2012 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2013 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2014 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2015 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2016 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2017 - 25 applicants
2018 - 0 applicants
2019 - 6 applicants
2020 - 44 applicants
2021 - 44 applicants
3.For each year up to date, please confirm the total number of applicants who were interviewed for posts as a result of the Guaranteed Interview Scheme;
The total number of applicants who were interviewed for posts after applying under the GIS is as follows:
2011 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2012 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2013 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2014 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2015 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2016 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2017 - 5 applicants
2018 - 0 applicants
2019 - 2 applicants
2020 - 7 applicants
2021 - 12 applicants
4. For each year up to date, please confirm the total number of applicants that were successful at interview who had used the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.”
The total number of applicants who were successful at interview after applying under the GIS is as follows:
2011 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2012 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2013 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2014 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2015 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2016 - information no longer held in line with Retention and Disposal policy
2017 - 3 applicants
2018 - 0 applicants
2019 - 2 applicants
2020 - 4 applicants
2021 - 4 applicants
