The fate of the civil servant who heads the Human Rights Commission (HRC) is likely to be decided in the next few weeks, can reveal.

A report on David Wilson, executive officer of the HRC, is expected to be passed to John Drinkwater, the secretary to the Cabinet and head of the Civil Service, by the end of this week, following a disciplinary hearing.

The hearing is believed to have partly been held in connection with the Commission's failure to file annual reports for the past four years, as it is required by law to do.

Commission chairman Rod Attride-Stirling told this week that jobs should have been lost over the repeated lack of annual reports.

Mr. Drinkwater is on vacation until June 23 but Kenneth Dill, acting secretary to the Cabinet, confirmed yesterday that a hearing involving Mr. Wilson was held over a three-week period beginning at the end of last month.

Mr. Dill said the chairman of the hearing panel had written a report which the secretary to the Cabinet was expecting by the end of this week.

He said: "The facts will be evaluated. If further action is warranted the secretary to the Cabinet will consult the Public Service Commission with a recommendation."

Mr. Dill said it was too early to say what action ? if any ? would be taken against Mr. Wilson if the hearing found against him. "There is an appeal process as well," he said.

"The first thing is to receive the report from the chairman and the secretary to the Cabinet will decide where that will go."

He added: "It is only the Public Service Commission that either engages or terminates the employment of civil servants at that level."

The last annual report filed for the HRC appears to have been for 2001, when 491 people lodged complaints with the Commission.

The Human Rights Act requires the Commission to make a report to the Minister responsible for human rights no later than six months after the end of each calendar year.The Minister is then supposed to lay the report before both the House of Assembly and the Senate.

Mr. Attride-Stirling said it was unlikely that a 2005 report would be filed this month in time to comply with the legislation.

Dale Butler, the Minister responsible for human rights, said he was "very concerned" about the lack of reports and that the matter was in the hands of Acting Permanent Secretary Joanne Brangman at the Ministry of Community Affairs.

She could not be contacted for comment yesterday.

Mr. Wilson, of Somerset, said: "I'm afraid I can't respond at the moment because there are matters proceeding."