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• 2000/2001
• 1999/2000

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

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.

The quality of policy advice will be supported by a quality management process including:

• an external review of scope and methodology for major analytical work;
• circulation of drafts for critiquing by other government agencies and other parties as appropriate;
• internal peer review and checking procedures; and
• adherence to the Ministry's Policy Framework.

Note: A large part of the Ministry's policy advice requires the cooperation of other government agencies and is determined by the priorities and timetables of the Cabinet and its Committees. The Ministry's performance in terms of the standards may be affected by these factors which are outside its control. These factors will be included in the assessment process and will be acknowledged whenever they impact on performance.

Standards for Policy Advice

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

Quantity

Project work is agreed in the year's work programme, and modified by agreement between Ministers and the Chief Executive in the course of the year. It is assessed against the programme agreed to in the Chief Executive's Performance Agreement and any subsequent amendments.

Coverage

Provision of a comprehensive service, which provides:

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

Performance is assessed by regular surveys of Ministerial satisfaction levels.

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 sheet.

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 judgements 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 of any typographical or spelling errors and conforms to Cabinet Office requirements.
• Recommendations - Recommendations are clear, logical, action orientated and can stand alone from the rest of the advice.

Timeliness

Specified reporting deadlines will be met. These are assessed by comparison against deadlines set in the written work programme as modified in the course of the year.

Cost

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

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. 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/negotiation with the Minister's office achieved an agreed final version.

Note 2: Responsibility for Vote: Sport, Fitness and Leisure and Vote: Tourism transferred to the Ministry of Economic Development on 1 July 2000. However, the performance standards for these Votes were agreed and reported in the Department of Internal Affairs Departmental Forecast Report (DFR) and have been measured against these. (Quantities for Ministerials and Parliamentary Questions were combined and the timeliness measure is for 95% of draft responses to be submitted within 10 working days of receipt in the Ministry.)

Performance against Policy Advice Standards

Vote: Sport, Fitness and Leisure and Vote: Tourism

The above Votes are reported against policy advice performance standards in the Department of Internal Affairs DFR. Accordingly, please refer to the individual Statements of Service Performance for performance results for these Votes for 2000/2001. The reporting structures for the policy advice performance measures were different from that of other Votes administered by the Ministry of Economic Development. These have been aligned for 2001/2002.

⁶The range is (1) not satisfactory, (2) fell short of expectations, (3) satisfactory, (4) met expectations, (5) fully met expectations.

⁷The range is (1) not satisfactory, (2) fell short of expectations, (3) satisfactory, (4) met expectations, (5) fully met expectations.