No sell-off in first phase of public sector reform
Cayman Islands Government Administration Building
(CNS): The government has published a programme brief outlining its plans for public sector reform under the banner of Project Future but there will be no sell offs or privatisation of government services among the 17 projects identified in the first phase. Based on the EY report published last year, the document, which was revealed at a press briefing Monday by the premier and deputy governor, lists 51 reform projects in total that will be implemented in five phases.
Some government land will be sold but no agencies, entities, departments or specific services will be outsourced and most of the projects involve amalgamation, rationalisation, development or management change.
No job cuts in the civil service were announced but both Premier Alden McLaughlin and Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said there would be some changes ahead for public sector workers andbut when that happens government staff would be treated fairly.
McLaughlin said that the rationalisation project was not about job cuts but about containing the growth of the civil service and improving efficiency within government to better deliver the growing services it needs to provide. Manderson also noted that one of the projects in the first phase of 17 projects already underway included implementing a policy to protect civil servants impacted by change.
Although the rationalisation project overview is based on the Ernst and Young September 2014 report, McLaughlin said that it was only ever an “aid to government thinking” and not a blueprint. The programme briefing, which was adopted by Cabinet last week, was described as “ambitious and far reaching” but the premier said it was not set in stone. He said things may change depending on the outline business cases that are being conducted for most of the projects.
In many cases the changes are still only vaguely outlines and there is no spending cut target or ideal headcount outlined. Government has not stated what it expects to save over how long in regard to any of the project ideas or how it will positively or even negatively impact the annual public sector bottom line in years to come.
Each project will be handled separately and some, such as moving responsibility for the London Office from Home Affairs to the Cabinet Office (the only completed project so far), is purely managerial. The premier and deputy governor confirmed that the vacancy for the head of that office remains open and the recruitment process continues after a number of offers have fallen through.
The first phase of Project Future includes capital projects already underway, such as the airport development, as well as those going through ‘the process’, such as the landfill and cruise berthing projects. Others include the merger of primary schools on Cayman Brac, implementing e-government and increasing of the retirement age for civil servants, as well as creating a utilities commission and an ombudsman’s office.
Both the former information and complaints commissioners and others stakeholders have all advised against this and queried the motivation, given how low down the list of EY recommendations it was. Nevertheless, the premier said the merger would contain costs as the departments grew to include police complaints and data protection. Manderson also said the creation of ombudsmen was a global trend in public sector management. The outline business case, which would soon be a public document, would outline the reasons why, Manderson stated.
See the project brief on the Strategic Reform Implementation Unit website
Category: Politics
solution: cross party committee to be set up to implement all/most recommendations of e&y and miller shaw…..then no party can be blamed by electorate…..
problem solved.
Doesn’t matter who’s in power the process remains the same. CIG makes a big show of hiring expensive consultants to come up with a solution to problems that are almost always self-inflicted then ignores what they say. This is just history repeating itself.
another waste of our money and a complete waste of time….this government is completely and totally useless and cost us so much money. The only reason why this government in its current fashion exists is because of the old caymanians who dont know who else to vote for…..when we start to make more people caymanian and allow the other half of the adult population to vote we will start to move in the right direction…until then pirates feeding pirates….we came from pirates and until we reform we will remain pirates
Speak for yas self ole boy I ain’t come from no pirates so check ya self. As to inclusiveness in our political system it’s allowed so read the rules, you may not like them but they are the law. What we need is not name calling but rather sensible honest people in the communities to engage in constructive dialogue on an ongoing basis not just at election time. And certainly not on the CHAT shows
Talk to your neighbors, convince people who you know can make a difference introduce them to your communities support them and you will have the beginning of change, positive change, for we the people will be engaged in the process of selection, not them telling us that they can and then when they get in they wash out. Cayman Unite.
Under Project Future the future looks remarkably like yesterday.
Good grief, worrying about their reelection as usual rather than doing the right thing. They know if they privatize companies that the private sector will make those businesses efficient, which will mean staff cuts. That would not be popular. So let’s kick the can down the road again, let’s build up people’s hopes and entitled feelings until we are no longer sustainable…. Jeez…I hope Caymanians get that this medium to long term does no favors to anyone, least of all Caymanians.
spineless nonsense from the ppm…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
A key PPM policy is to ensure that local voting civil servants do not have to perform to the standards expected in the private sector.
Wow what an amazing achievement ….thankfully I never have to read another post about reading the Miller Shaw and EY report.
I’m so proud of our Premier and Deputy Governor. History is being made and yet we complain. But what’s new?
No one believed that this report would not grow dust. Now watch the civil service take these recommendations forward.
lost in wonderland……
Haha hurrah