THE majority of people who took part in a consultation about the proposed creation of a single employing authority for most government public servants were against the idea.

The government said talks will now take place with staff representatives as some unions have indicated they would like more information on the proposal before finalising their views.

The establishment of a new Public Service Employing Authority (PSEA) was the main recommendation of a working group set up by the Council of Ministers to look at the future of government's human resources arrangements which currently embrace more than 15 separate employing bodies.

The consultation document issued in April this year made it clear that no decision had been made on creating a PSEA, and it set out arguments both for and against the proposal.

It attracted a total of 117 responses, 23 from organisations and 94 from individuals, 92 of whom were associated with the field of education.

But the consultation response report published by the Office of Human Resources reveals the majority of respondents expressed opposition to the PSEA proposal.

Most did so on the grounds that their own employment group should be excluded from the authority.

The report states: "The responses received highlighted the need for additional information on how a PSEA would work in practice to provide clarification so that the impact of establishing a PSEA is better understood."

The report says the Council of Ministers has agreed that the Office of Human Resources should conduct a further exercise to clarify matters including dialogue with affected groups.

This is to be done in consultation with Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne, chairman of the original working group which carried out the HR Functions Review.

The report concludes: "The Office of Human Resources will be charged with continuing to address many of the shortcomings within current HR systems as highlighted in the HR Functions Review."