View Document - Parliament of South Africa

1375 FRIDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2008
1376
The ancillary objects of the Public Administration
Management Bill are to provide for
institutions, systems and mechanisms and
for human resources’ utilisation and development
in a manner which best enhances
service delivery by public administration
institutions; establish a culture of service
delivery across public administration institutions
and provide for standards for services
by public administration institutions;
strengthen relations between the spheres of
government; enhance coherent, integrated
planning, budgeting, implementation, reporting,
monitoring and evaluation in all
spheres of government; provide for frameworks
for employment practices, including
employee relations and conditions of service,
for all employees of all public administration
institutions; and establish a single
senior management service across all public
administration institutions, amongst others.
The Bill continues a tradition of decentralisation
of power established in 1999, and its
provisions are based on the experience of the
last ten years in public administration. The
approach taken in the Public Service Act and
the Public Service Regulations was for the
Minister as regulator to set a framework of
norms and standards within which executive
authorities and their delegates could make
policies suited to their own unique circumstances.
In the Public Administration Management
Bill, the Minister is empowered to
create a framework of generally applicable
norms and standards within which government
institutions in the national, provincial
and local spheres may determine their own
policies and practices. At the same time,
however, efforts will be made to harmonise
systems, structures and conditions of service
in order to reduce unjustifiable disparities,
duplication and lack of interoperability between
institutions, and to promote integration
and co-ordination for improved service
delivery.
The Single Public Service is developmental
because it aims to reduce duplication and
wastage through integration of services,
concentrate staff and service centres in the
locations where they are most needed and to
enable a wide range of services to be
delivered at these conveniently located service
points. It also aims to improve intergovernmental
co-ordination and integration by
harmonising the conditions of services, systems
and procedures of the institutions that
provide services and the personnel which
serve the public. Overall the intention is to
improve service delivery by integrating the
back and front offices of the public service
and municipalities. Other jurisdictions (including
Brazil and Canada) have integrated
their service delivery back offices (integrating
the back office is a long term undertaking)
and many jurisdictions have
decentralised human resource management
within a framework of norms and standards.
Conclusion
Central to government’s ability to realise the
goal of the developmental state is that the
organs of state have the capacity and are
correctly organised to deliver on the state’s
socio-economic objectives. The Minister for
the Public Service and Administration has
introduced policies to enhance the capacity
of the public service by empowering public
servants to improve their skills and enjoy
benefits that also contribute to the development
of the country, and by eliminating the
abuse of policies and systems to ensure their
health and wellness, among several others.
Expanding access to services and empowering
citizens to take up services and economic
opportunities are developmental and support
the implementation of government’s socioeconomic
objectives through enhanced access
to social services and economic
opportunities. The implementation of the
Access Strategy and the Single Public Service
initiative will further strengthen South
Africa as a developmental state by ensuring
that services that have a positive impact on
the quality of life of our citizens are delivered
effectively, economically and efficiently.