Vanuatu Review of National Land Legislation, Policy and ... - AusAID

Deconcentration; and,Divestment.The effects of decentralisation depend very much on what kind of decentralisation ischosen. In the case of the DOLSR it may be more relevant to look atdeconcentration which involves limited delegation of authorities and responsibilitiesthat are for specific decision-making about financial and management functions.Deconcentration is suitable for sub-ordinate lower-level agencies or sub-agencies.These might include provincial or district offices of central government agencies orservice delivery institutions. These agencies have authority delegated throughcentral policy. Financial and administrative actions occur without significantindependent local involvement.If we look at the DOLSR, it is noted that:(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)there are a large number of vacant positions;the capacity of the current staff to support the land administration isgenerally low;there is a lack of clear procedures in many areas;the organisation structure is weak;linkages and responsibilities between agencies are weak or non-existent;andtechnological development throughout the organisation is generally low.Each of these issues creates an impediment to decentralisation and the aggregationof all the issues makes decentralisation a difficult and very risky proposition at thispoint in time.A decentralisation policy is worth implementing but it is important that the centralagencies are operating effectively before decentralisation is commenced. Anydeficiencies at central level will be magnified at provincial level and could well resultin poor land administration services being provided in preference to an improvedservice which is what is desired. It is strongly recommended that management,institutional and operational issues be addressed at central level before any seriousdecentralisation policies are implemented.6.2.3. Overlap and Duplication of ResponsibilitiesA number of units within different agencies would appear to have adopted verysimilar responsibilities and undertake similar activities. For example provincialgovernment would appear to be undertaking similar roles in some areas to theMinistry of Lands and Natural Resources in areas such as dispute settlement,control of land activities through public awareness and to promote transparency inrelation to land leases. However it is noticeable that there is a general lack ofmention of enforcement. As a result of an overlap of responsibilities it would appearthat provincial governments are failing to address the land management issues that34