Cronyism row erupts over drink-drive sheriff's new job; ANGER: LAW MAN PICKS UP pounds 74,000 A YEAR AS TRIBUNAL CHIEF.THE SCOTTISH legal establishment was yesterday accused of cronyism Cronyism Tammany Hall Manhattan Democratic political circle notorious for spoils system approach. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 492] after a former sheriff with a drink-drive conviction was given a pounds 74,000-a-year job. Opposition politicians described Mark Sischy's appointment as a full-time chairman of employment tribunals as "ludicrous" and demanded more open appointment procedures. They want clear guidelines to end any suspicion of "jobs for the boys "Jobs for the Boys" is the seventh episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister and was first broadcast 7 April 1980. Plot Sir Humphrey Appleby is in Jim Hacker's office with Bernard, and is somewhat anxious. " in legal circles. Sischy was banned from the road in May 1997 for two and a half years and fined pounds 800 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. He was nearly three times the drink-drive limit. His ban does not run out until November this year. He had sat as a sheriff in Glasgow since 1990 but resigned before his case was heard. In England, the tribunals post would have to be openly advertised but Sischy would not have even been granted an interview because of his criminal record But by the end of 1997, Sischy, 53, was earning pounds 332-a-day plus expenses as a part-time employment tribunal chairman in Scotland. Last month, Sischy, 53, who lives in Edinburgh, was confirmed in his full-time post hearing cases in Dundee. His salary is pounds 74,464, only pounds 5200 less than he earned while sitting as a sheriff. The tribunal chairmanships in Scotland are not advertised, on the grounds that it would not produce more experienced candidates. Instead, the vacancy was circulated only among the small number of part-time chairmen in Scotland. Tricia Marwick Tricia Marwick is the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Central Fife. She was born on November 5, 1953 in Cowdenbeath[1] and brought up in Fife. , SNP SNP Scottish National Party Noun 1. SNP - (genetics) genetic variation in a DNA sequence that occurs when a single nucleotide in a genome is altered; SNPs are usually considered to be point mutations that have been evolutionarily MSP (1) (Management Service Provider or Managed Service Provider) An organization that manages a customer's computer systems and networks which are either located on the customer's premises or at a third-party datacenter. and member of the justice committee said: "The manner in which Mr Sischy was appointed raises concerns of cronyism within the Scottish judicial system. "Mr Sischy has been promoted to a full-time chairman while still serving a ban for drink-driving. "When you consider that some of the cases brought in front of employment tribunals may involve drink-related incidents during hearings for unfair dismissals, it seems ludicrous to appoint someone with a criminal conviction in this area." She added: "The posts for part-time employment tribunal chairmen are not advertised while information regarding full-time positions are only circulated to part-time chairmen. "This points to cronyism with a strong element of using a 'jobs for the boys' system. The SNP are calling for the procedures of appointments to be more open, transparent and accountable. "All positions within the Scottish judicial system should operate best practice where all jobs are advertised and open to the public. "These appointments of secrecy are sending out all the wrong messages about employment tribunals. Scottish Tory deputy leader Annabel Goldie Annabel Goldie (born 27 February 1950, Glasgow) is a Scottish politician, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament, and chairwoman of the party's Shadow Cabinet. She is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West of Scotland Region. said: "The Labour Government has failed to recognise the practical consequence of devolution, which is an expectation by the people of Scotland for transparency in matters such as public appointments where substantial sums of public money are involved. "It seems unacceptable that in England and Wales England and Wales are both constituent countries of the United Kingdom, that together share a single legal system: English law. Legislatively, England and Wales are treated as a single unit (see State (law)) for the conflict of laws. there is a more clearly defined code of practice for such appointments, whereas the position in Scotland is much more obscure. "It is precisely this lack of clarity which devolution was meant to address. The Scottish Executive should take a lead by placing policy proposals before the Parliament for dealing with appointments to such positions. "It is not for the Government to appoint judges. It is for the Government, however, to ensure that a fair and acceptable system for appointments is in place." Appointments as employment tribunal chairmen are made by top law officers, the Lord Chancellor lord chancellor also called Lord High Chancellor or Lord Keeper of the Great Seal British official who is custodian of the great seal and a cabinet minister. Until the 14th century the chancellor served as royal chaplain and king's secretary. in England and his counterpart in Scotland, the Lord President of the Court of Session But in England, the Lord Chancellor has made it clear he regards drink-driving as a sacking offence. Would-be chairmen in Scotland make themselves known to Doris Littlejohn, president of Employment Tribunals (Scotland) or to the Lord President, Lord Rodger of Queensferry who has the final say on the legal appointment. Employment tribunals were set up under the Department of Trade and Industry The Department of Trade and Industry was a United Kingdom government department which was disbanded with the announcement of the creation of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on 28 June 2007[1]. , who provide the civil servants for their administration but the legal system in England and Wales provide the chairmen. A spokesman for the DTI Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) A refinement of magnetic resonance imaging that allows the doctor to measure the flow of water and track the pathways of white matter in the brain. said: "It would be up to the Scottish Parliament  For the national legislative body up to 1707, see Parliament of Scotland. The Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scottish Pairlament to produce the guidelines it wants to be followed in appointing legal personnel." Yesterday, Lord Rodger was on holiday out of the country and unavailable for comment. No one from Mrs Littlejohn's office was available for comment. Sischy lives with his wife, Judith, and daughter Deborah, 24, in a villa in a cul-de-sac of upmarket up·mar·ket adj. Appealing to or designed for high-income consumers; upscale: "He turned up in well-cut clothes . . . and upmarket felt hats" New Yorker. houses in the shadow of the Royal Observatory Royal Observatory may refer to:
Yesterday, his wife said: "Mr Sischy will not be making any comment to the Press at all." While a sheriff in Glasgow, Sischy fined the then Rangers player-coach John Brown pounds 1500 and banned him for 15 months for drink-driving. Sischy was caught drink-driving while he was on holiday and had nipped out to a local shop. Just weeks after he was stopped by police, his youngest daughter Jennifer, 20, was found dead in a hotel from the slimmers' disease anorexia nervosa. The family had been trying for a long time to help her overcome her illness. |
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