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The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s overall area of responsibility is in helping to provide, at an administrative level, the "constitutional and institutional glue" that underlies our system of executive government in our parliamentary democracy.
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Statement of Intent describes
the link between good government and the results that the government wants
to achieve, and it continues an important step forward in accountability and
priority setting. It outlines the strategic direction of the Department of
the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) and what the department intends to do
for the next three years. It also provides measures against which DPMC, in
its annual report tabled in Parliament, can report on its achievements and
the progress it has made. The DPMC’s Annual Report for the year ended
30 June 2004 will be the first of the department’s annual reports to
reflect this changed emphasis.
The main outcomes that the DPMC seeks to report against is “good government with effective public service support” – which recognises the department’s contribution, along with other agencies, to achieving this outcome. Four contributing outcomes have also been adopted to reflect the key streams of work coming from DPMC.
These are:
This Statement of Intent is substantially unchanged from last year’s: it
is a three-year document that does not yet call for significant change. Like
its predecessor, it outlines the rationale for these outcomes, how the department
contributes to their achievement, how it proposes to measure achievement,
and how it intends to maintain organisational capability.
Much of our political system operates on an agreed set of conventions and
practices, and DPMC provides the services that support the operation of executive
government. During the period covered by this Statement of Intent, these responsibilities
will again be put to the test through the need to provide support for the
government-formation process after the next general election and for the Governor-General
appointment process.
An important focus for DPMC, Treasury and the State Services Commission is in continuing to work together more effectively is on building collaboration, improve co-ordination, and develop a shared outcomes framework. Important steps have been taken towards developing a shared outcomes approach, although a shared rationale to underpin the interventions of the central agencies is still some way off.
A fine balance needs to be maintained between the clear measurement of departmental performance, using outputs, and the broader collaborative contributions to multi-agency outcomes.
Another factor influencing the policy environment is New Zealand’s orientation
towards a pathway of sustainable development, which will require both leadership
and the development of partnerships with local government, industry, iwi,
and non-governmental organisations. DPMC, along with other central agencies,
will play a key role in co-ordinating the public service’s activities in this
area.
Security and risk management are increasingly prominent issues. The shadow cast by international terrorism and events following September 11 extends to New Zealand – with seemingly no country being immune. The recent Madrid bombing is a reminder of the scale of possible threats. Global security continues to be a serious concern; and, at a more local level, New Zealand has seen incidents of people-smuggling and the use of forged or fraudulently obtained New Zealand passports for nefarious purposes. As well, ongoing effort across government agencies is required for New Zealand to stay abreast of international expectations in the management of security risks.
Environmental and bio-security risks, however, also pose very real threats
to New Zealand’s well-being and standard of living. DPMC’s work in co-ordinating
government’s response to security risks of any kind remains a core function.
Over the medium term, DPMC is actively working towards ensuring New Zealand
can respond rapidly to any security or other risk.
Achieving DPMC’s overall goal of “good government, with effective public service support” is necessarily dependent on meeting its four contributing outcomes and their more specific work programmes. Over the three-year period of 2004 to 2007, DPMC needs to maintain and enhance its overall capacity. Capacity risk – not having the right mix or quantum of technological and personnel resources – inevitably leads to performance risk and the possibility of not achieving the department’s outcomes.
This Statement of Intent overviews these capacity and performance issues
and sets out DPMC’s response. In particular, the department is committed to
making more effective use of its staff resources and knowledge across all
areas of its work. It will also continue its policy of actively encouraging
secondments to the department from inside and outside the public service.
We continue to try to attract the best people to work in the department. This
includes looking to the network of former employees who might be attracted
back. In the emerging public service environment, this type of interchange
will be increasingly vital if DPMC and the public service as a whole are to
achieve better results for the citizens of New Zealand.
DPMC is increasing its emphasis on staff training and improving its internal
human-resource capability. Many of the roles in DPMC are specific to the organisation,
and so the development of existing staff is an important strategy for moving
the organisation forward if a key senior manager needs to be replaced. As
an example, the newly appointed Secretary to the Cabinet came from within
the Cabinet Office.
DPMC has been home to a number of special units dealing with policy projects or emerging issues that require constant monitoring and policy response by senior ministers. In recent years the DPMC has housed the Climate Change project team; it now houses the Foreshore and Seabed Group. In these projects a number of agencies are affected or involved, and DPMC has a key role in providing policy advice and support so that a coherent whole-of-government approach can be achieved. An important part of DPMC’s organisational capacity is the flexibility to provide a temporary home for such activities, and the ability to use its network within the public service to obtain staff and resources for these units.
Mary Anne Thompson
Acting Chief Executive
20 May 2004