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• Policy Adv & Ministerial Serv

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• 1999/2000

• Quality Assurance Processes
• Standards for Policy Advice
  • Quantity
  • Coverage
  • Quality
  • Timeliness
  • Cost
  • MINISTERIAL SERVICING PERFORMANCE (CONTINUED)

Quality Assurance Processes

The Ministry has a formal policy framework within which all policy issues may be assessed, options developed and analysed, and consultation with interested parties effected. This framework is consistent with the processes employed by many other government agencies and helps ensure consistency of approach and focus throughout the Ministry and with broader government policy. Consultation with interested parties is undertaken throughout this process and advice from the Ministry’s Legal Section is also sought where appropriate.

Within the policy framework significant influences on the quality of output delivery included:

• gauging of Ministers’ satisfaction through regular (usually weekly) meetings which provide frequent opportunities for feedback on the level of satisfaction with the quality of advice and reporting. The Chief Executive also had formal discussions with each Minister on the Ministry’s performance and forward work programme as part of the Ministry’s regular review processes;
• standard quality assurance procedures applied throughout the Ministry which require that all reports to Ministers and letters for their signature are normally signed out by a Deputy Secretary, a director, a manager or senior advisor depending on the complexity or sensitivity of the issue being dealt with; and
• consultation with external groups on an informal basis or the release of discussion papers on which formal submissions are received.

Standards for Policy Advice

The Ministry will seek a quarterly written response from Ministers on its performance against the following quality standards.

Quantity

Project work is agreed in the year’s work programme, and modified by agreement between Ministers, the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Economic Development, and where appropriate, the General Manager of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the General Manager of the Ministry of Tourism in the course of the year.

Coverage

The Ministry will provide a comprehensive service that:

• has the capacity to react urgently;
• offers timely and relevant briefings on significant issues; and
• supports Ministers as required in Cabinet Committees, Select Committees and in the House.

Quality

The Ministry will supply high quality individual products conforming to the quality characteristics outlined below and assessed by the Ministers’ satisfaction, as reported in the Ministers’ response sheets.

Quality Characteristics

• Purpose - An objective for the policy advice has been clearly stated including its relationship to the Government’s desired outcomes and objectives.
• Focus - There is a clear and logical statement of the issue or problem and why it necessitates Ministerial action.
• Viability - Viable options to address the issue are presented and the costs/benefits and winners/losers for each, relative to the policy objective, assessed and any value judgement brought to the attention of Ministers.
• Logic - The assumptions behind the advice and the logic of how options will resolve issues and achieve objectives are clear.
• Accuracy - The facts are accurate and based on reliable research or evaluation findings or other appropriate information.
• Practicality - The advice draws on appropriate knowledge and experience and the practicalities of implementing it are clearly explained including any legal, machinery of government, Treaty of Waitangi or other issues or risks that require management.
• Consultation - Interested government agencies and affected parties have been consulted and their views considered.
• Presentation - The advice is presented clearly, logically, in plain and grammatically correct English, free from any typographical or spelling errors and conforms to Cabinet Office requirements.
• Recommendations - Recommendations are clear, logical, action oriented and can stand alone from the rest of the advice.

Timeliness

Specified reporting deadlines are met.

Cost

The final cost is within budget. This is assessed by comparing the final cost with the Estimates of Appropriations.

Ministerial Servicing Standards

All draft Ministerial correspondence is submitted to the Minister within 10 working days of receipt in the Ministry.

Where only an interim reply is possible a final reply shall be provided within the following timeframes:

• 90% within 20 working days of the original receipt in the Ministry; and 100% within 30 working days of receipt in the Ministry.

Parliamentary questions and Ministerial correspondence are responded to within agreed and statutory timeframes. Quantities of Ministerial servicing for each Output Class are as stated in the table set out in this report. (Performance standards are in brackets.)

MINISTERIAL SERVICING PERFORMANCE
(Standards are in brackets where applicable)

19 In the last quarter of the year 403 ministerials were received. The very high volume related to theelectricity crisis.Late responses were due to the large number of responses required combined with high workloads on proposed new electricity and gas regulation.

20 Seven ministerial responses were late as a result of time taken to gather information from electricity and gas companies.Systems are now in place to ensure that interim responses are sent in these circumstances.