REVELATIONS about the salary of the new hospital director, prompted by questions asked in the House by Deputy Angela Jeune, have provoked outrage from members of the public and a number of politicians.

With good reason, many Islanders find it impossible to understand why money should be thrown so regularly and recklessly at top-level jobs in the public sector in this era of cuts, savings and tax hikes.

Now that Deputy Jeune has, with commendable tenacity, asked the right questions, Deputy Roy Le Hérissier has proposed an answer to this problem of highly paid appointments being made under an unacceptable veil of secrecy.

Partially mirroring UK policy, which requires local government positions commanding salaries of over £100,000 to be subject to full council approval, he has proposed that States Members should have 15 days to make comments on or raise objections about all new £100,000 jobs funded by the taxpayer.

The Deputy’s proposal, formally lodged yesterday, most certainly deserves support – not only because it offers a mechanism for shining a spotlight on significant expenditure, but also because it will help ensure that the Island gets value for money from its most senior civil servants.

But there are other dimensions of the public employment issue which should also be looked at as matters of urgency. For example, as Deputy Le Hérissier suggests in the report accompanying his proposition, the idea that the only way that the Island can secure savings and efficiencies is by hurling cash at top people is feeding on its own suspect logic.

To state matters simply, those making appointments have become accustomed to paying over the odds and they are finding it hard to kick the habit.

As well as subjecting top appointments and salary packages to the political scrutiny that they always received under the committee system of government and reintroducing common sense into the public sector pay policies of this small community, a principle that is honoured in theory but not in practice must be revisited.

This is the vital need to ensure that departments should engage in succession planning, bringing on internal talent and ensuring, whenever feasible, that posts are filled by heads which are wise in Island ways. Despite numerous promises, the States have failed abjectly in this crucial objective.

In recent years we have tested to destruction the notion that all useful skills and expertise lie at least 90 miles to the north of our shores and, time and time again, it has been found wanting.