Heads of Public Sector agencies sign new Charter

Accra, Nov. 28, GNA - The government and Heads of five public sector agencies on Wednesday signed a New Charter to inculcate a culture of excellence in service delivery and create a positive public perception of the public sector. The New Charter is an agreement between the organizations and the public through which trust and confidence in public service will be sustained.

The agencies are the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Registrar-General's Department (RGD) and the Controller and Accountant-General's Department. Mrs. Mary Chinery Hesse, Special Advisor to the President signed on behalf of the President whiles the agencies were signed for by their respective Heads.

Launching the report, Mrs Chinery-Hesse said the new Charter forms part of the government's objective to transform the Public Service to deliver quality service within the shortest possible time. She said public perception of, and experience with, the quality and mode of delivery of services provided by the public service organisations had not been very positive and satisfactory. The new Charter therefore impresses upon the organisations to focus on their core activities to deliver services within agreed time frames and the provision of a conducive environment for the private sector to play a leading role, she added. Mrs Chinery-Hesse said unless the public sector performed its services effectively, the government's agenda would not be met and called on the five agencies to take serious steps to improve on their services and re-orient their workers for a positive attitudinal change towards their clients. "It is my sincere hope that a dramatic culture change will soon be felt in all our public service organisations which will re-orient our public servants' minds in acknowledging that customers are the most critical and important factor in their existence and operations, whilst pursuing excellence in service delivery." Mrs Chinery-Hesse said the efforts of the five agencies would help the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to raise the needed resources for enhanced national development. She said it was the duty of the public to complain to the Central Complaints Unit that had been established at the Office of the President when services provided by the agencies were not satisfactory.

Mr. Samuel Owusu-Agyei, Minister of Public Sector Reform, said the Ministry would provide the necessary policy framework and support to the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to restate their organizational vision, engender commitments to their mission statements, assign employees meaningful work and restructure their processes and procedures.

This, he said, would ensure that standards were met and also reduce cost adding; "A courteous and respectful greeting requires no financial investment. Failure to give a member of the public a simple, satisfactory explanation to an enquiry may result in an incorrectly completed application form which will cost time to put right." Mr. Owusu-Agyei said the Ministry had reactivated the Client Service Unit (CSU) concept 2005, by providing guidance and support to 23 MDAs to establish such units and additional 18 in 10 districts in the Central, Eastern and Greater Accra Regions.

He said the public service must adapt to and respond in a sustainable, quality conscious and efficient manner to the needs of users placing them at the centre of their concerns. He said a Charter mark would be given to the agencies at the end of the year and that any agency that scored below average would be sanctioned as it meant that services provided were unsatisfactory. The Heads of the five agencies pledged their total support to the document which was prepared in-house and were comfortable with it because the targets were set by themselves. Mr. Christian Sottie, Controller and Accountant General promised that salaries would be paid on due date and pensions paid within two months of receipt of the correct documents. He said the Department had since last year, established Treasury Realignment where monies would be sent to the various districts to pay the pensioners without having to travel to Accra. The Commissioner of CEPS, Mr. Emmanuel Doku said the result of valuation would be ready within 30 days upon receipt of petition, value claim for refund to clients within 30 working days, five days for draw-back due clients, registration at Customs Bonded Ware-house seven days and collection of vehicles, personal effects and courier goods a maximum of 24 hours. 28 NOV. 07