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Formal complaint made against Policing Board over £86,000 unfair tribunal case

SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly is a former member of the Policing Board. File picture by Colm O'Reilly
SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly is a former member of the Policing Board. File picture by Colm O'Reilly SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly is a former member of the Policing Board. File picture by Colm O'Reilly

A FORMAL complaint has been made against the Policing Board following revelations it "was not made aware" of industrial tribunal proceedings which saw an employee awarded more than £86,000 for unfair dismissal.

SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly, a former member of the board, said she was stunned by the case and has written to Auditor General Kieran Donnelly at the Audit Office.

The board was ordered to pay compensation to David Hammond at a tribunal last month. Mr Hammond was awarded £48,000 as well as a statutory 'uplift' of more than £23,500, plus almost £16,000 for income tax purposes.

The tribunal said the board "did not enter a response" to the case.

However, the board said it was "not made aware of proceedings" and is investigating why.

In her letter to Mr Donnelly, Ms Kelly said she wanted to lodge a formal complaint against the board about "the proper conduct of business" following an article in yesterday's Irish News.

"Whilst such a successful claim is disturbing on the basis of human resources practises it is even more so troubling because in the article a Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) spokesman said 'The Policing Board was not made aware of proceedings and will investigate the reason for this', "she wrote.

"Such a statement suggests that proper policies and protocols were not followed by at least one or more of the organisations involved e.g. The Crown Solicitors Office, The Industrial Tribunal Service or NIPB.

"I request that the factors such as professional judgement and public interest elements be considered in your investigation."

A spokeswoman for the Policing Board said yesterday it had no further comment because the "matter is being investigated".

A spokesman from the Department for the Economy, which provides administrative staff to The Office of the Industrial Tribunals and the Fair Employment Tribunal, said the decision of the tribunal was publicly available.

"The Tribunal subsequently received a request for written reasons for the decision and this has been referred to the Employment Judge for consideration," he said.

"It would be inappropriate for the Secretary of the Tribunals to comment further on what is a judicial matter."