Civil Service Appeal Board
Last updated: 27 November 2008
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The CSAB will arrange a date for the hearing of the appeal at the time that the Department/Agency statement is requested. A letter of invitation will be sent to the appellant, their representative, and copied to the Department/Agency within a minimum of three weeks of the hearing date.
If the appellant wishes to appear before the Board, the Departmental/Agency representation can be at most two people. The Department/Agency should be represented by either the Decision Maker or someone from line management who has direct knowledge of the appellant and the circumstances of the case, supported by someone from HR at a level of responsibility which enables them to speak with authority for the Department/Agency. These are only guidelines, the criteria being that the Department/Agency representatives should know the case, can talk about Departmental policy and are able to answer any relevant questions posed by members of the Board. Details of representation should be included with the main statement, and any difficulties over Department/Agency representation should be discussed with the CSAB Secretariat. Departments/Agencies can be represented by only two people; additional persons will not be granted access to the CSAB office.
Appellants do not have to attend the hearing. If an individual does not wish to or cannot attend the hearing the Board will proceed in one of two ways. Firstly, the case can be heard as a paperboard and the decision taken based on the papers alone. In these circumstances the Department/Agency representatives cannot attend the hearing. However, someone will be required to be available by telephone at the time of the hearing in case Board Members need more information or explanation of any point contained in the written submissions.
Alternatively, the appellant’s representative may attend in the appellant’s absence if they are willing to do so and have the appellant’s permission to do so. In these circumstances the Department/Agency’s representatives would also have to attend.