Plaid Cymru AM Chris Franks has raised concerns over the time Welsh Assembly Government staff spend in a centralised pool waiting to be matched to a new job.
Figures revealed by Permanent Secretary Gillian Morgan show that more than 50 employees spend between four and six months in the pool with some staff spending more than six months.
Gillian Morgan said that the practice of using a centralised pool had saved an estimated £128,500 in media advertising and up to £22.8m in severance payments since 2008-09.
But Chris Franks, South Wales Central AM and Plaid’s Finance Spokesperson said: “I agree with the principle of a central postings pool because it does save money.
“But I do have considerable concerns that scores of staff are waiting more than three months to find a suitable post. In these difficult economic times this is something we can ill-afford and that applies not just to WAG but other public bodies such as the National Health Service.
“This system needs to be managed far better to ensure the time staff spend in the pool is reduced to the absolute minimum. I’d like to see the maximum time for all staff in the pool kept to three months.”
Prior to permanent placement, some central posting pool staff are used in an internal consultancy basis while others have worked on project including short-term emergency planning and meeting the attainment of environmental targets.
