News
No takers for AG’s Dept jobs; hundreds of vacancies remain unfilled
Nearly half of the positions at the Attorney General’s Department are vacant, with the severe shortage in staff making even the performing of day-to-day activities a challenge, according to a report tabled in Parliament.
According to the AG’s Department’s 2023 Performance Report, as of December 31, 2023, the Department had an approved cadre list of 1,295. However, just 671 of those positions were filled, leaving a staggering 624 vacancies, amounting to 48% of the department’s workforce.
The National Audit Office (NAO), in its observations on the AG’s Department’s report, has pointed out that the problem is felt from the senior-most level, which has directly impacted the department’s efficiency. Though there were 523 approved senior-level positions at the AG’s Department as of December 31, 2023, the number of existing staff stood at 215, leaving 308 vacancies. When compared to the approved cadre list, the vacancies at this level were 59%.
The number of approved cadres for tertiary and secondary levels was 15 and 354, respectively. The number of existing positions, though, was 7 and 157. The combined number of vacancies at the two levels was 205, a percentage of 56%.
While 292 out of 403 positions at the primary level were filled, it still left 111 positions at this level vacant—a percentage of 28%.
Due to the large number of vacancies in the approved legal and non-legal staff in the department, it has become “very difficult to perform daily activities successfully,” the AG’s Department has observed in the report, outlining the challenges it faces due to lack of staff.
A detailed breakdown of the existing vacancies in each position shows just how bad the situation is in certain positions, especially at the senior level. For example, there were 53 vacancies in the post of Senior State Counsel, which has an approved cadre number of 56. The number of vacancies in the State Counsel position, which had an approved cadre of 218, was 77. All 130 Assistant State Counsel (Probation) positions were vacant, as were all 28 positions of Junior Assistant State Attorney.
Meanwhile, at the secondary level, there were 50 vacancies among Management Service Officers. The approved cadre numbers for court clerks and stenographers were 60 and 78, respectively, but every one of these positions was vacant.
A senior AG’s Department official, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, said the situation at present has “hardly changed” in terms of the staff shortage. While 37 new State Counsel were recruited in 2024 to fill some of the vacancies at that level, only three of these persons are still with the department. The rest have opted to resign, mostly to go into private practice, the official revealed.
There are several difficulties in attracting suitable candidates to the AG’s Department and holding onto the talent already there. The performance report itself notes the urgent need to establish permanent quarters for State Counsel engaged in duties in regions outside Colombo. The report points out that there are not enough infrastructure facilities outside Colombo Chambers for serving AG’s Department officers.
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