• Home
• About MED
• Publications
• Annual Report
• Archive
• 2001/2002
• Policy Adv & Ministerial Serv

• Publications

• Annual Report

• Archive

• 2007/2008
• 2006/2007
• 2005/2006
• 2004/2005
• 2002/2003
• 2003/2004
• 2001/2002
• 2000/2001
• 1999/2000

• Quality Assurance Processes
• Standards for Policy Advice
  • Quantity
  • Coverage
  • Quality
    • Quality Characteristics
  • Timeliness
  • Cost
  • Ministerial Servicing Standards
  • Ministerial Servicing Performance

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 (usually quarterly) 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 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, 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' quarterly 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 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 out-turn is within budget. This is assessed by comparing the out-turn with the Estimates of Appropriations.

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

Ministerial Servicing Standards

Draft Ministerial correspondence is submitted to the Minister within 15 working days of receipt in the Ministry in 100 percent of cases in all Votes. Where only an interim reply is possible a final reply shall be provided within the following timeframes:

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

The acceptance standard for first drafts of Ministerial correspondence and written Parliamentary Questions is 100 percent.

Ministerial Servicing Performance

Quantity and Timeliness

(Standards are in brackets where applicable)

Note 1: Discussion with the Minister's office achieved an agreed final version.

Performance against Policy Advice Standards

¹⁶The range is (1) was not satisfactory, (2) fell short of my expectations in some respects, (3) met my expectations, (4) met and sometimes exceeded my expectations, (5) greatly exceeded my expectations.