NEWLY appointed Treasury minister Charles Parkinson yesterday released a 700-word outline of the key priorities for his department and, while it signifies a formidable amount of work to achieve, will broadly be welcomed by islanders.
It is also an indication of the fresh sense of purpose that the newly elected States has, as embodied by the Policy Council appointed on Tuesday.
Treasury’s seven-point agenda also indicates why its minister is looking for a new team to be appointed today when the States meets to consider departmental membership.
The reason is some deep-seated changes in attitude, particularly towards the island borrowing to achieve necessary capital investment at the harbours, airport, hospital and schools.
A target, too, is ending overspends on projects – something the minister acknowledges has been so damaging to public confidence in the States.
Communication is an issue, with the promise of a layman’s guide to the island’s fiscal and economic performance every three months so people know whether States policies are working.
The minister also wants to see the States accounts brought into line with normal standards, a massive undertaking, but says that until that happens, all financial policy decisions will be taken in the light of unreliable information.
That is a worrying situation since it admits that government has been acting over the years on such a basis but is also indicative of a new broom approach at one of government’s most crucial departments.
The minister’s agenda is also welcome because it effectively sets a benchmark for how the other departments should operate: producing a concise outline of what they intend to achieve over the next four years and on which they can be judged.
Yes, that is supposedly the purpose of the Government Business Plan but it is huge, unwieldy and largely unreadable.
A two-page summary from each minister at the start of the new term is far more accessible for islanders and thus far more meaningful.
And, to take a further leaf out of the Treasury book, each department could follow that up with a quarterly update on what is has achieved.
T&R shows that’s the way to do it
NEWLY appointed Treasury minister Charles Parkinson yesterday released a 700-word outline of the key priorities for his department and, while it signifies a formidable amount of work to achieve, will broadly be welcomed by islanders.
It is also an indication of the fresh sense of purpose that the newly elected States has, as embodied by the Policy Council appointed on Tuesday.
Treasury’s seven-point agenda also indicates why its minister is looking for a new team to be appointed today when the States meets to consider departmental membership.
The reason is some deep-seated changes in attitude, particularly towards the island borrowing to achieve necessary capital investment at the harbours, airport, hospital and schools.
A target, too, is ending overspends on projects – something the minister acknowledges has been so damaging to public confidence in the States.
Communication is an issue, with the promise of a layman’s guide to the island’s fiscal and economic performance every three months so people know whether States policies are working.
The minister also wants to see the States accounts brought into line with normal standards, a massive undertaking, but says that until that happens, all financial policy decisions will be taken in the light of unreliable information.
That is a worrying situation since it admits that government has been acting over the years on such a basis but is also indicative of a new broom approach at one of government’s most crucial departments.
The minister’s agenda is also welcome because it effectively sets a benchmark for how the other departments should operate: producing a concise outline of what they intend to achieve over the next four years and on which they can be judged.
Yes, that is supposedly the purpose of the Government Business Plan but it is huge, unwieldy and largely unreadable.
A two-page summary from each minister at the start of the new term is far more accessible for islanders and thus far more meaningful.
And, to take a further leaf out of the Treasury book, each department could follow that up with a quarterly update on what is has achieved.
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