The Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code does allow some short-term appointments to be made other than through selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

The objective of permitting these short-term appointments is

• to provide flexibility where it is genuinely necessary to meet the needs of the recruiting unit
• to allow the Prison Service to participate in government programmes to relieve long-term unemployment.

The Prison Service is under no obligation to recruit using any of these forms of appointment and should apply the normal Recruitment principle where that is practical and sensible to do so.

The short-term appointments that may be made under the above categories are set out in the hyperlinks below.

No exception to selection on merit on the basis of fair and open competition may be made outside the terms of these provisions without the approval of the Commissioners.

Appointments of less than 12 months and their subsequent extension

Recurrent short-term appointments of no more than six months in any twelve months for a period of less than four years.

Short-term appointments requiring a highly specialised mix of skills and experience

Competitions for short-term appointments restricted to the unemployed