FOI 57-22: Guaranteed Interview Scheme
Information Standards Freedom of Information Response
Our Ref: FOI 57-22
21 November 2022
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“FOIA”)
I am writing to confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 21 October 2022 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In your request, you asked:
“I would like the following information from the Assembly Commission via a Freedom of Information Request:
1. The date(s) the Assembly Commission applied and was approved by the Department of Works and Pensions or Equality Commission of Northern Ireland to use and become a Guaranteed Interviewer Scheme employer.
The Guaranteed Interview Scheme was incorporated into the Assembly Commission’s Internal Recruitment and Selection Procedures on 5 December 2012.In implementing the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, approval was not required from the Department of Works and Pensions or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. However, advice was taken from the Equality Commission on the development of the Assembly Commission’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme.
2. The scheme guidance issued by the Department of Works and Pensions or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland on the usage of the scheme, in the training of panels and that for staff. As one of the five principles of the scheme is training staff with disabilities to use the scheme.
You may wish to contact the Department of Work and Pensions or the Equality Commission for their guidance documents. For the Assembly Commission, all interview panel members attend recruitment and selection training which includes information regarding the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. The Assembly Commission’s Recruitment and Selection Procedures are available to all applicants. Paragraphs 34 – 40 of the Procedures provide information on the Guaranteed Interview Scheme as follows:
Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS)
34. The 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 you cannot meet all of the shortlisting criteria. In these instances, provided that you have demonstrated in your application form that you meet the essential criteria for the role, you will be invited to interview.
35. You do not have to have a registered disability to apply under the GIS.
36. If an assessment or test is used as a shortlisting tool then if you apply under the GIS you will not be required to complete the assessment or test and will be offered a guaranteed interview, provided that you demonstrate in your application form that you meet the essential criteria for the role.
37. In instances where an assessment or test forms part of the selection process and is not a shortlisting tool, then you must meet the minimum standard required regardless of whether you are applying under the GIS.
38. The application form will include a section on disability, and you can indicate whether you wish to apply under the GIS for that particular role and the basis on which you qualify for the GIS.
39. When considering applications made under the GIS, the Human Resources Office reserves the right to request medical information from your general practitioner (through you and with your consent).
40. The Human Resources Office will monitor all applications made under the GIS.
3. The Guaranteed Interview Scheme guidance from the Department for Works and Pensions or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland on the review process for disabled applicants is another of the five guiding principles for the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. As the current HR reply to queries on not being sifted for interview is that there is no review mechanism as per e-mail replies.
Clarification was sought from the requester on 2 November 2022 as to the information requested in point 3 and the following response was received, “I was wanting to know why if they have the guidance of the 5 principles why they write out to applicants who don't make sift, that there is no appeal. As an appeal process is one of the 5 principles. So, what I was really asking do they have the information that states what the 5 principles of a guaranteed interview scheme are? Does it state how an appeal process should be action. Is there guidance?”
The Assembly Commission’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme is incorporated into its Recruitment and Selection Procedures. Whilst the Assembly Commission advises applicants that there is no appeal of a sift decision, in accordance with its Recruitment and Selection Procedures, applicants are advised they may request a review of the sift decision of the selection panel regarding the fact that they did not progress to the next stage of the selection process, i.e. on the grounds that they did not meet the essential criteria or score highly enough in shortlisting criteria. To do so, the applicant must write to or email the Human Resources Office within three working days of the notification of the sift result. The request must include the reasons that they feel necessitate a review.
The Assembly Commission introduced its Guaranteed Interview Scheme following advice from the Equality Commission. The Equality Commission referred to its Disability Code of Practice – Employment and Occupation (specifically Chapter 7, section 7.20 disability) at that time.
In terms of the reference to “5 principles”, the Equality Commission has advised that a previous scheme titled the “Two Ticks Scheme’ contained 5 requirements. The Assembly Commission did not implement the ‘Two Ticks Scheme’ which was replaced in 2016 by the Disability Confident Scheme. The Assembly Commission is a member of the Disability Confident Scheme.
4. I would also like to know the number of training courses provided to Assembly Commission staff on the working of the Guaranteed Interview Scheme as per another of the five principles of the scheme to measure the understanding of the scheme by staff. As the GIS employer is meant to provide instruction on the scheme.”
Information on the Assembly Commission’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme is provided to all applicants as set out at point 2 above. Training on recruitment and selection is provided to all panel members and the Human Resources Office does not monitor disability in relation to attendees.
You have the right to request a formal review by the 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 may appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF which will undertake an independent review.
The Assembly Commission may publish details of your FOI request and its 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.
Yours sincerely
INFORMATION STANDARDS
