PHILOSOPHY FOR PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM Government's ...

White Paper on Public Sector ReformThe Permanent Secretary’s principal role is chief policy adviser to theMinister. This role is acted out within the context of relationshipsbetween the Minister, Heads of Departments, including Chief TechnicalOfficers and where appropriate external consultants. In the reformprocess, the Permanent Secretary and the Minister will deal with theirrelationships in an open, confident, trustworthy and mutually respectfulmanner. They must employ a sound partnership arrangement in order toperform their roles and overcome difficulties. When respective rolesbecome blurred, they create tensions and pressures for both parties. Thisblurring occurs in the areas of decision-making, policy formulation orregulatory application and tends to impede effective delivery of servicesto the public.The blurring of such basic policy issues and management functions willbe addressed through the provision of guidelines to clarify the functionalrelationship between Ministers and Permanent Secretaries. Theguidelines will emphasise partnership as a critical success factor, whichmust be created, cultivated and sustained through mutual sharing ofinformation and other consensus-building initiatives.