Public Service Week 1997 - Opening of Conference for Senior Public Officers

The main activities of Public Service Week 1997, on the theme "Ic-Civil ghac-Cittadin" (The Civil Service for the Citizen) began today with a four-day conference on "An Output Orientation for a Better Public Service". Today's session was an overview of the main issues as they relate to the Public Service as a whole. Future sessions will deal with specific sectors.

In his introductory remarks, Mr. J R Grima, Head of the Public Service, emphasised the need for professionalism and loyalty in the Public Service. He also underlined the importance of thinking creatively in coming up with ways to improve productivity and the delivery of quality services to the citizen.

The main speakers were Dr Godfrey Pirotta of the University of Malta; Mr Charles Polidano, currently of the University of Manchester; Prof. Maurice Mullard of the University of Hull; and Mr Joseph Portelli, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance and Commerce.

Dr Pirotta provided a brief overview of the long history of the Public Service, noting its unique features. From its earliest days the Service played a paternalistic role, going as far as providing a stable supply of food to the population. Throughout its history, the Service has faced a number of persistent problems such as overmanning, lack of resources, and relatively low pay.

For valid reasons, the Service evolved a highly regulated system of central management. Mr Polidano pointed out that centralised management could sometimes come into conflict with the improvement of efficiency. Mr Polidano outlined ways to achieve an output orientation, as required by present day circumstances. In reality, several steps had already been taken in this direction, such as the introduction of business planning and performance management.

Professor Mullard presented an output model of public management and stressed its benefits. The model would make it necessary to break free from inertia and move away from a system of central rules and regulations. The model required a new public service ethic that would be people-oriented, linking the concept of citizenship with that of transparency. Prof. Mullard also stated that the budgetary system would need to be rethought to better relate budgeted expenditure to outputs.

Mr J Portelli discussed the output model from a practitioner's point of view. His preferred approach was to start with a set of objectives and work backwards in order to define the deliverables of each section or office. He emphasised the importance of leadership and teamwork in achieving deliverables. Rules should not be broken in the quest for better results, but they may need revision to allow managers greater flexibility. Ultimately, however, the test of every manager was to motivate existing staff and get them to work towards the common end.

Today's seminar was attended by Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Department and other senior public officers, including Senior Principals who are the next generation of leaders in the Public Service. The issues raised at the seminar were therefore of most significance to them.

The conference programme continues tomorrow, with a seminar on the development of an output orientation in the health and social sectors.