In order to make the state more efficient, a ministry of public administration or «people and services» (PS) ministry or a ministry of human resources and services should be created, writes Ministry of Justice secretary general Margus Sarapuu in an opinion piece in today’s Postimees.
«To be sure, it wouldn’t be a reformist ministry, a mere campaign,» writes Mr Sarapuu. «More than a one-time reform, we need somebody to be permanently responsible for the development of public services and of their development, and involved in international cooperation in that field, whether it be open government initiatives or EU affairs.»
According to Mr Sarapuu, competence and responsibility for development of the state is currently fragmented, divided between various ministries: the minister of regional affairs is responsible for the local level, the Ministry of Finances is involved – with the Ministry of Justice – in development of public services, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications oversees e-government, document management and development of public services, Ministry of Education and Research is responsible for the archival system and services. And, by coalition treaty, the post of PS-coordinator was created at State Chancellery. Support service is offered by State Real Estate Ltd and state support services center, within the domain of the Ministry of Finance. Many ministries have large PS-agencies.
«In order not to increase the number of ministers and officials, the minister of regional affairs and his team, for instance, could serve as a seed for the said ministry. To those, resources from the ministries of finance, justice, economy, and possibly others, should be added (including personnel, PS-agencies, center of support services, State Real Estate Ltd, central training facilities),» explains Mr Sarapuu.
«To be sure, it wouldn’t be a reformist ministry, a mere campaign.»
Such consolidation would help cut government costs, eliminating widespread duplicating – especially in support services.
«There’s not much time for substantial restructurings. We only have 2014-2015, 2016 the latest. For in 2016-2017, a large part of the establishment is in preparations for EU presidency in 2018, when we also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic,» said Mr Sarapuu.