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Publications ~ Annual Report 2005

Statement of Objectives and Service Performance
for the year ended 30 June 2005

OUTPUT CLASS 1: POLICY ADVICE AND SECRETARIAT AND CO-ORDINATION SERVICES

 

This class of outputs involves:

• the provision of immediate, medium- and long-term policy advice of an impartial nature, delivered freely and frankly to the Prime Minister and, at the Prime Minister's request, to other ministers
  
  
• the promotion and facilitation of interdepartmental co-ordination of policy development and the promotion of a greater collective approach to performance standards across the state sector, through the formulation and implementation of the government’s key goals
  
  
• the provision of advice to the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and ministers on constitutional issues relating to executive government
  
  
• the provision of impartial secretariat services to Cabinet, Cabinet committees, and the Executive Council, and the promulgation of their decisions
  
  
• the provision of advice on the policies, processes and procedures relating to the Executive Council, Cabinet, and Cabinet committees, including the review of policies and procedures where appropriate
  
  
• the co-ordination of the policy and administrative aspects of the legislation programme, as directed by Cabinet Legislation Committee
  
  

• the development and promulgation of information, advice, and guidelines on the nature and operations of the central processes of executive government
  
  

• the provision of policy and administrative support for the New Zealand royal honours system
  
  
• the provision of services to assist with the purchase of media time and space for government public-information programmes
  
  
• the provision of advice amd support in relation to government policy on the foreshore and seabed.
  
  
  

  The department assists the Prime Minister in overseeing and leading the government as a whole. In addition, it supports the Cabinet decision-making process. As a central agency, the department has a clear role to play in promoting effective policy co-ordination across the public service. Ministers need to have complete trust in the quality of the advice and support the department offers on the proper conduct of government business within accepted conventions and practices.

   

  Output Class 1 Financial Performance

  	30.06.04 Actual $000	30.06.05 Actual $000	30.06.05 Main Estimates $000	30.06.05 Supplementary Estimates1 $000
  Revenue - Crown	9,275	9,699	9,893	9,699
  Revenue - Other	2	37	-	-
  Expenditure	8,569	8,760	9,893	9,699
  Surplus	708	976	-	-

  
  1. The financial performance of the Foreshore and Seabed Project is included above, and is also separately disclosed below.

 

Output Class 1
Service Performance: Policy Advisory Group

 

Policy Advice to the Prime Minister

 

Objectives

To provide good information and effective advice that enables the Prime Minister to lead and manage the public-policy business of the government; and to ensure that the Prime Minister and other key clients show a high level of satisfaction with the advice and co-ordination services provided.

Performance

The Policy Advisory Group provided advice to the Prime Minister as necessary on Cabinet and Cabinet committee papers in time for her to use in Cabinet or Cabinet committee meetings.

The Policy Advisory Group provided briefing notes on issues of interest to the Prime Minister, either in response to requests from her or on the Group’s initiative.

All written advice provided to the Prime Minister was reviewed by the Director of the Policy Advisory Group and/or the Chief Executive. In most cases this review occurred after the advice was tendered; in sensitive or difficult matters the Director or
Chief Executive reviewed the advice before it was submitted.

Feedback from the Prime Minister on any advice tendered was made available to the Chief Executive, the Director of the Policy Advisory Group, and the adviser concerned.

The Policy Advisory Group convened regular meetings of the Officials’ Social Development Committee, and briefed the Chair of the Cabinet Social Development Committee before each of that Cabinet committee’s meetings.

 

Objective

To satisfy the Prime Minister that the Group’s advice and co-ordination services are provided to a high standard.

Performance

The Prime Minister provided regular feedback, both written and oral, on the advice provided by the Policy Advisory Group.

 

 

Output Class 1
Service Performance: Cabinet Office

Support for the Proper and Effective Operation of the Key Institutions of Executive Government

 

Objective

To provide impartial secretariat services to the Executive Council, Cabinet and Cabinet committees including: preparing agendas; checking that submissions meet the requirements set by Cabinet; preparing summary cover sheets for submissions; recording decisions; and distributing submissions and minutes.

Performance

The Cabinet Office provided secretariat services to 224 Cabinet and Cabinet committee meetings and 43 Executive Council meetings over the year. This compares with 221 and 38 respectively in 2003/04.

The Prime Minister, the chairs of Cabinet committees, and ministers’ offices were consulted as required on the compilation of the agendas and acceptance of submissions for meetings. (See Appendix II for the business statistics for Executive Council, Cabinet, and Cabinet committees.)

There were 2,287 summary cover sheets prepared for submissions to Cabinet and Cabinet committees during the past year. This compares with 2,265 in 2003/04.

In the past year, 86 per cent of submissions were received in the Cabinet Office by the Cabinet deadlines for lodging papers. Seventy-nine per cent of submissions were distributed to ministers’ offices within the Cabinet Office’s performance targets for the delivery of papers (that is, two days before the meeting). The comparative figures for 2003/04 were respectively 84 per cent and 79 per cent.

There were 2,577 Cabinet and Cabinet committee minutes recorded over the year, compared with 2,578 in 2003/04.

All Cabinet committee minutes were issued within three days of the meeting, before the next meeting of Cabinet (this level of performance is the same as in 2003/04). Ninety-two per cent of all Cabinet minutes were issued within three days of the Cabinet meeting (this compares with 93 per cent in 2003/04).

Ninety-eight per cent of all Cabinet and Cabinet committee minutes did not require amendment by the Cabinet Office (this excludes amendments to committee minutes made as a result of Cabinet decision). The comparative figure for 2003/04 is 99 per cent.

 

Objectives

To provide advice on policies, processes and procedures relating to Cabinet, Cabinet committees, and the Executive Council; to administer and maintain the conventions, policies and guidelines in the Cabinet Manual, the Step by Step Guide, and related Cabinet Office circulars; and to provide policy and procedural advice and information on these matters to ministers’ offices and departments.

Performance

Seven Cabinet Office circulars were prepared and issued during the year: guidance on Regulatory Impact Statements and Business Compliance Cost Statements; Government decisions and actions in the pre-election period; legal advice and legal professional privilege; the Statutes Amendment Bill (No 3); the Law Commission work programme; the 2005 legislative programme; and changes to Cabinet committee membership. (The same number of circulars was provided in the 2003/04 year.)

The Cabinet Office provided 28 briefing seminars to departments and interested parties on the Cabinet decision-making process (compared with 12 in the previous year). It also provided a number of briefings on Cabinet procedures for staff in ministers’ offices.

A secure online Cabinet and Cabinet committee workspace was developed and launched for use by staff in ministers’ offices. The workspace provides electronic access to a range of Cabinet Office administrative information. The same information is also available to departments through the new public sector intranet.

The Cabinet Office has initiated and is chairing an interdepartmental officials’ group to develop departmental best practice for statutory appointments and governance in the wider state sector. The Office has also developed and launched a secure online workspace for the public service officials involved in appointments and governance work.

During the year the Office organised eight ministerial meetings with visiting prime ministers and presidents, in the Cabinet Room.

 

Objective

To provide advice to the Prime Minister and the Governor-General on policies and procedures relating to constitutional issues.

Performance

Advice and support was provided to the Prime Minister and the Governor-General on a range of policies and procedures relating to constitutional issues. This included providing support services for the reallocation of a number of portfolio responsibilities (in December) and for the appointment of a new minister.

Support was given to the Clerk of the Executive Council in her oversight responsibilities for policy and administration of Government House. This included oversight of the Auckland Government House redevelopment project, through membership of the project steering group. (This project was completed in April 2005.)

The Cabinet Office provided advice and support to the Leader of the House on the Members of Parliament (Pecuniary Interests) Bill.

The Office participated in the officials’ group to review New Zealand’s oaths and affirmations, resulting in a Bill introduced into the House in May.

 

Objective

To co-ordinate the policy and administrative aspects of the legislative programme, as directed by the Cabinet Legislation Committee.

Performance

Advice and support was provided to the Leader of the House and the Cabinet Legislation Committee on the management of the Government’s legislative programme and the preparation and management of the legislative programme for the 2005 calendar year.

 

Objective

To provide advice on the policy aspects of the New Zealand royal honours system, support for the compilation of honours lists, and administration of the honours system.

Performance

Policy continued to be developed, and ongoing advice given, on operational service medals and a range of other honours issues.

The Honours Secretariat advised and assisted the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee on the compilation of the 2005 New Year Honours List (199 recipients) and the 2005 Queen’s Birthday Honours List (177 recipients).

Two Gallantry Awards and one Bravery Award were announced as part of the New Year Honours List in 2005. A further 26 Bravery Awards were announced in a Special Honours List on 29 January 2005.

 

Objectives

To maintain the records of Cabinet; and to provide related information services.

Performance

The Cabinet Office maintains records of all Cabinet and Cabinet committee meetings, administers the convention on access to documents of previous administrations, and provides advice to ministers’ offices on the storage and disposal of Cabinet papers.

 

Output Class 1
Service Performance: Domestic and External Security Group (DESG)

 

Objectives

To provide integrated advice on domestic and external security, defence operations, intelligence and counter-terrorism preparedness; to provide advice on the operational effectiveness of the emergency management system at a national level; and to provide advice to the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security.

 

Performance

The Domestic and External Security Group (DESG) provided policy advice and administrative support for 30 ODESC (Officials’ Committee for Domestic and External Security Co-ordination) and 31 Watch Group meetings during 2004/05. The issues covered by these meetings included:

• intelligence
  
• preparedness and planning
  
• Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Solomon Islands
  
• Indian Ocean tsunami
  
• people smuggling
  
• foot and mouth disease hoax.

 

DESG provided policy oversight and advice on such issues as the co-ordination of security-environment risk assessments, mass arrival of illegal migrants (including the publication of a response strategy manual), emergency response and disaster recovery policies, implementation of recommendations from the Maritime Patrol Review, and the protection of New Zealand’s critical infrastructure.

DESG also provided co-ordination of major event security for the Athens Olympics in 2004 and the Gallipoli commemoration in 2005.

DESG co-ordinated the preparation of two reports to the Domestic and External Security Cabinet Committee on Intelligence and Security Matters. DESG co-ordinated a range of counter-terrorism preparedness activities which included the publication of a National Counter-Terrorism Plan, maintenance of the Terrorist Emergency Group activation process, and participation in counter-terrorism exercises and seminars. DESG also co-ordinated the implementation of the corrective action plan arising from the counter-terrorism exercise Lawman 04.

DESG maintained and updated the Security in the Government Sector manual, and provided advice to government departments and agencies on the protection of official information and the development of departmental security policies.

 

Objective

To provide a system of foreign intelligence collection and assessment activity that reflects policy priorities, national requirements, and available resources, and that also ensures a co-ordinated and harmonised outcome.

Performance

DESG provided chairmanship and secretariat support for five meetings of the Foreign Intelligence Requirements Committee and six meetings of the Current Intelligence Requirements Group.

 

 

Ouput Class 1
Service Performance: Corporate Services

 

Negotiating Terms and Conditions for Government Agencies’ Advertising and Publicity

Objective

To negotiate annual volume-incentive media agreements that are advantageous to government departments and agencies.

 

Performance

Negotiations with media for the year ended 30 June 2005 were completed by the end of July 2004. Agreements with media for 2005/06 were concluded in June 2005.

 

Output Class 1
Service Performance: Foreshore and Seabed Group

 

Objectives

To provide good information and effective advice to enable the ministerial group headed by the Deputy Prime Minister to lead and manage the Foreshore and Seabed Policy Framework; and to ensure the Prime Minister and other key clients show a high level of satisfaction with the advice and co-ordination services provided.

 

Performance

During the year under review, and up to the time it was disestablished, the Foreshore and Seabed Group:

• continued to provide advice to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and other ministers on detailed policy issues related to the foreshore and seabed
  
  
• continued to co-ordinate the input of other departments, by convening an Officials’ Steering Committee and working groups
  
  
• was appointed as an adviser to the Fisheries and Other Sea-related Legislation Select Committee, which considered the Foreshore and Seabed Bill from June to November 2004 – this included attending public hearings and other meetings of the Committee, providing advice and briefings, and supporting the Committee’s processes
  
  
• analysed all submissions (nearly 4,000) received by the Fisheries and Other Sea-related Legislation Select Committee
  
  
• prepared a comprehensive departmental report on the Bill and the submissions, which was forwarded to the Fisheries and Other Sea-related Legislation Select Committee
  
  
• prepared a communication strategy including the preparation of brochures and other publicity material on the implementation and administration of the new legislation, which was enacted in November 2004
  
  
• managed an orderly transition of responsibility to the Ministry of Justice and other departments that would implement and administer the new legislation
  
  
• published, in conjunction with Local Government New Zealand and other departments, a stocktake report of existing local government practice when liaising or engaging with Maori
  
  
• participated, on behalf of the Crown, in negotiations with two iwi on rights to areas of the foreshore and seabed (these negotiations have been continued by the Ministry of Justice).
  

 

Foreshore and Seabed Group Financial Performance

	30.06.04 Actual $000	30.06.05 Actual $000	30.06.05 Main Estimates $000	30.06.05 Supplementary Estimates $000
Revenue - Crown	2,827	3,084	3,084	3,084
Expenditure	2,293	1,391	3,084	3,084
Surplus2	534	1,693	-	-

2. Actual costs were lower than budgeted because the Group was disestablished in February, earlier than anticipated.