Dear Ministry of Justice,

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information relating to your agency’s recruitment processes, internal decision‑making structures, and applicant communication practices for permanent roles and fixed‑term roles longer than 3 months.
1. Internal vs external recruitment and fairness of opportunity
For the past 24 months, for permanent roles and fixed‑term roles longer than 3 months, please provide:
• The number of roles that were:
• advertised internally only
• advertised internally before being advertised externally
• advertised externally while an internal candidate was already acting in the role
• Any policies or guidance on:
• when roles should be advertised internally vs externally
• ensuring external applicants have a genuine opportunity when an internal candidate is already preferred or acting
• managing conflicts of interest when internal candidates are known to the hiring manager
• Any documentation outlining how fairness, merit, and equal opportunity are assessed when internal candidates are present.
2. Advertising timeframes and short‑window postings
For the past 24 months, for permanent roles and fixed‑term roles longer than 3 months, please provide:
• The number of roles that were advertised externally for:
• fewer than 5 calendar days
• 5–7 calendar days
• 8–14 calendar days
• Any policies, guidelines, or internal expectations regarding:
• minimum advertising periods
• when short advertising windows may be used
• how fairness and equal access are ensured when roles are advertised for short periods
• Any internal reviews or discussions regarding the impact of short advertising windows on applicant diversity, fairness, or merit.
3. HR gatekeeping, filtering, and alignment with role expertise
Please provide:
• The position titles and pay bands of staff responsible for the initial screening or shortlisting of applicants.
• Any training, competency frameworks, or guidelines provided to HR staff for assessing specialist, technical, or senior roles.
• Whether hiring managers receive:
• all applications, or
• only those filtered by HR
• Any documented criteria, tools, or checklists used by HR staff during the initial sift.
• Any policies regarding the involvement of subject‑matter experts in early screening stages.

4. Applicant communication, feedback, and closure
Please provide:
• Any policies, guidelines, or service standards regarding communication with applicants, including:
○ acknowledgement of applications
○ updates during delays
○ notification of outcomes
○ provision of feedback to unsuccessful applicants
• Any internal expectations or KPIs relating to timely communication with applicants.
• Data from the past 24 months showing:
○ the proportion of applicants who received feedback
○ the average time between application and outcome notification
○ the average time between interview and outcome notification
• Any internal reviews or discussions regarding improving applicant communication or feedback processes.

5. Recruitment workflow, timeframes, and accountability
Please provide:
• The documented end‑to‑end recruitment process for permanent roles and fixed‑term roles longer than 3 months.
• Any internal timeframes, service standards, or escalation points built into that process.
• Any KPIs, performance measures, or quality standards used to assess recruitment team performance.
• Any internal reviews, audits, or evaluations of the recruitment function conducted in the past 24 months.

6. Use of external or automated systems
Please provide:
• Details of any third‑party recruitment platforms, automated screening tools, or AI systems used in the hiring process.
• Any internal guidance on how these tools are used, monitored, or audited.
• Any policies regarding transparency to applicants about the use of automated screening.
• For the specific role Wellbeing Lead - MOJ/1911615, please confirm whether any automated or algorithmic screening tools were used at any stage of the recruitment process.

7. Discrimination
Please provide:
• Details of any filters that have been used either by humans or automated systems that have discrimintated on the basis of age, gender or ethnicity
• Any internal guidance on the appropriateness of discrimintation
• Any policies regarding transparency to applicants about the use of gender, age or ethnic discrimination.
•

Purpose of request
I am requesting this information to better understand the transparency, fairness, and integrity of recruitment processes within the public sector, particularly in relation to applicant experience, equitable access to opportunities, and the use of short advertising windows and fixed‑term contracts.

If any of the requested information is held across multiple documents, please provide the document titles and dates.

If any part of this request is unclear, please interpret it broadly rather than narrowing scope.

If any information is withheld, please specify the grounds under the Official Information Act, including the specific subsection relied upon.

Ngā mihi, Mikael Aldridge