Paris, May 26, 2008

Project ‘Reduction of Administrative Burden for Professionals’

Structure

• Introduction• Modernisation Gov• Organisational chart• Objectives• Methodology• Profiles• Activities• Challenges

Introduction

• Current Dutch cabinet has placed the reduction of administrative burden high on the agenda; • Towards an integral effort to reduce burdens for citizens, companies and professionals;• Professionals in the public sector are not satisfied: they do not have time for their ‘real’ work;• Excess of admin burden leads to increased workrelated stress, alienation, low attraction value of public sector jobs, labour market shortages, problems with service delivery;• 2006: a quick scan showed that all professionals deal with administrative burdens. These are partly enforced by the central government, but are as often imposed by organisations themselves, or even citizens! • 2007 Project plan approved by State Secretary Bijleveld• New questions: factual burdens vs. perceived burdens?

Modernisation of Central Government

- Policy priority to reduce admin burden is partly financed by the Modernisation of Government Program (2007-2011);- Aim: better and smaller government;- ‘Smaller’ means: 12.800/175.000 functions less, 630 mln/10 bln euro saved;- Main cutbacks in policy making, overhead, inspection. No major cutbacks in operations;- ‘Better’ means: less fragmentation, more cooperation between ministries, working in flexible projects, more mobility of staff, better service delivery, less regulation, better operations management, shared services.- Success depends on political and managerial determination, but also on the amount of new policies and regulation.

Organisational chart

Directorate-General Kingdom Relations and Governance

DG board

Staff office DGBK Cabinet affairs

Innovation- and Informationpolicy

Employment Public Sector

Other divisions

Objectives

Main objective:

To substantially reduce administrative burdens of 16 types of professionals in the public sector from 2007-2011. This will bring about a change in the perception of the 5 main burdens when it comes to administrative burdens and a noteworthy reduction of time spend on these burdens.

Professionals are executive government or semi-government employees with frequent contact with citizens.

Objectives

Three subobjectives:

1. Improve the awareness about the nature of and need for ‘administration’

2. Showing confidence in, appreciation for and involvement with the work of professionals.

3. Provide strategies and best practices that enable organisations to organise administrative burdens.

Methodology

• Quick scan and focus groups• 4 Domains selected: Health care, Social security, Education, Safety• Profiles of professionals will give more insight into the administrative burdens• 2007-2008: quantitative research (time spend en perceived)• Top 5 burdens based on research: cabinet to solve these• Disclosures office• 2010-2011: quantitative research will prove whether burdens have been solved

ProfilesFour profiles in each domain:

Health care: Social security: Hospital nurse Front office employee GSDMedical specialist Casemanager UWVFamily doctor Casemanager CWIFamily guardian Service team member SVB

Education: Safety: Teacher primary school Local police officerDirector primary school InspectorTechnical teacher VMBO Managing fire officerTeacher MBO District attorney

Activities

1. Initiation: 20072. Zero Measurement: 2007-20083. Implementation: 20094. Effect Measurement: 2010-20115. Completion: 20116. Other: communication: on-going

INITIATION COMPLETION

Communication

Zero-measurement Implementation Effect measuremnt

2007 20112008 2009 2010

Activities

Some challenges

• Cooperation with other departements• Converting research results into practical solutions• Dealing with political pressure• Mitigating the effects of new regulation/policies• Benefits professionals vs. benefits citizens