The Department of Home Affairs announced last month that significant changes would be required from April this year in order to balance the budget for 2011/12. Details of the staffing changes to be implemented at its Homefield headquarters on Woodbourne Road, Douglas, are being made public further to the 2011-2012 Budget debate in Tynwald Court this week where it was confirmed that the Department was asked to find a ?2.5million reduction on its current year budget, taking the total spending from ?34.1million to ?31.6m. Ongoing work has been taking place to achieve significant cost savings by top-slicing budget lines, thereby reducing areas of discretionary spending such as travel, training, equipment and overtime along with having a more robust approach to procurement through a dedicated officer. However, the reduction in discretionary spending alone was not enough and it was necessary to find additional savings in staff costs. Almost half a million pounds will be saved by removing 50% of the posts at headquarters, taking the number of staff from 24 (22.3 Full Time Equivalent) to 12 (10.6 FTE). The reductions are across all grades of officer – with seven senior and middle manager posts going along with five lower admin and secretarial grades. Three of the posts will transfer to the Treasury for Government’s shared services centres in finance and procurement. Financial support for the Chief Minister’s Drug and Alcohol Strategy has been reduced on the basis the strategy is now mature and to a large degree self-propelling, making a saving of three posts (2.5 FTE). Management of the strategy will transfer to another senior officer within the CEO’s administration, who will continue to work with partners across Government and the third sector to ensure its delivery. The remits of two senior directors – charged with managing business change and researching social policy – have been combined into a single post. Additionally, the Department’s dedicated press and public relations officer post has been removed while further staff savings have been achieved by merging the responsibilities of two finance middle management posts into one. Following the post-holders’ recent resignation, the Department did not recruit an in-house staff welfare officer and instead is in discussion about the greater use of central Government’s welfare services. Other responsibilities are being merged across the remaining administration and finance staff with some increased administrative burden on the operational divisions. The Emergency Planning Unit and Civil Defence are proposed to be put under the management of another section of the Department, which has made one post surplus to requirements. Work is ongoing to establish exactly how the relationship will operate, ensuring a close link is retained to the Chief Secretary’s Office and other Government Departments. DHA Director of Finance Paula Primrose said: ‘Significant progress has been made in finding alternative posts for the staff affected and consultations are ongoing to determine opportunities for their redeployment if required, although two people have indicated they wish to opt for early retirement. Two officers have already transferred to another department and two others will transfer to the Treasury shared service centre in the summer. Two officers have other roles lined up to start soon and I am optimistic that suitable jobs will be found within the public service for most of the remaining officers affected.’ Home Affairs Minister Adrian Earnshaw MHK said: ‘Hard financial circumstances mean that tough decisions have to be taken. Making these staff cuts should not be seen as a reflection on the individuals concerned but as the result of the straitened times we find ourselves in. ‘Halving the amount of staff based at our headquarters will inevitably have an impact. However, I am working with my senior officers to ensure the Department continues to support the work of the operational divisions. All officers are committed to working together to minimise any impact on the public. The result will be a streamlining of the Department’s administration but there will be no compromise on delivering our primary focus that is achieving the high level of public safety we have come to expect. ‘My priority throughout has been protecting frontline services to ensure the ongoing safety of the public of the Isle of Man, which is our prime aim.’ ENDS