By John McCormick from NICVA
Published on 05 Nov 2007
Minister for the Environment Arlene Foster has announced a six month review of the recommendations from the Review of Public Administration.
Review of Public Administration to be reviewed…
Arlene Foster, Minister for the Environment is to lead a six month long review of the recommendations from the Review of Public Administration.
The Minister explained that the review will have three strands: “The first strand will focus on developing our shared vision for local government. The second will focus on the numbers of councils and the third will concentrate on the functions to transfer to local government.
Members of the review team, which is due to report in December 2007, are:
- Peter Robinson Minister for Finance and Personnel,
- Margaret Richie Minister for Social Development,
- Conor Murphy Minister for Regional Development and
- Michael McGimpsey Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
The review will draw heavily on the information provided during the previous consultations. The timetable of the review means that July and August will be spent on desk research and the period from September to November will be dedicated to ‘intensive engagement with key stakeholders’.
In announcing the review Minister Foster said
"I encourage everyone to engage in the review. Today is the first stage of a process which is designed to establish consensus on the future shape of local government. These proposals will impact on councils, elected representatives, major public sector providers and the voluntary and community sectors, as well as the general public.
I hope that as many people and organisations as possible will take the opportunity to engage in the review and participate in the intensive stakeholder engagement planned for this autumn"
Everything on the table again
The review effectively means that all of the previous decisions from the RPA eg number of councils, new responsibilities for local councils and new arrangements for health and education are all on the table again. This also includes community planning.
In fact when announcing the review Minister Foster said
"The review will consider the decisions of the previous administration to develop a council-led community planning process and the complementary power of well-being"
No details have emerged yet on how the review plans to engage with key stake holders but we will keep you informed of developments.
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