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A core element of the business of the Department is providing policy advice to the Government. As a result resources are used to provide Ministerial services to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, the Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government, and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services. In addition to the provision of policy advice, parliamentary services are also undertaken, including drafting responses to correspondence, drafting or responding to parliamentary questions, attending committee hearings, preparing speeches and presentations, and providing corporate support.
Performance indicators in the PBS require that Ministers and Ministers Offices be satisfied with the quality of Ministerial services, policy advice and legislation development.
The PBS target stipulates a 95 per cent level of satisfaction. In 200102 the Ministerial Offices recorded a 98.9 per cent level of satisfaction with the various types of advice sent to them. This represents an improvement over the previous years level of 96.7 per cent satisfaction. A breakdown of these figures can be found in the following Tables.
Table 7: Ministerial service performance assessment statistics, 1 July 2001 31 December 2001
|
Division
|
Satisfactory
|
Unsatisfactory |
Not
indicated |
Total |
Unsatisfactory
(per cent) |
| Airports |
290
|
3
|
71
|
364
|
1.03
|
Australian Transport
Safety Bureau |
292
|
3
|
39
|
334
|
1.03
|
| Aviation |
293
|
4
|
65
|
362
|
1.37
|
Economic Research
and Environment |
35
|
-
|
2
|
37
|
0.00
|
| Land Transport |
586
|
16
|
86
|
688
|
2.73
|
National Capital
Authority |
61
|
-
|
3
|
64
|
0.00
|
Regional Services,
Development and
Local Government |
602
|
5
|
93
|
700
|
0.83
|
Territories and
Regional Support |
223
|
1
|
19
|
243
|
0.45
|
Cross-modal and
Maritime |
87
|
1
|
13
|
101
|
1.15
|
Executive Services
Group |
68
|
1
|
13
|
82
|
1.47
|
| Business Group |
22
|
-
|
1
|
23
|
0.00
|
| Total |
2559
|
34
|
405
|
2998
|
1.32
|
Table 8: Ministerial service performance assessment statistics following departmental restructure, 1 January 2002 30 June 2002
|
Division
|
Satisfactory
|
Unsatisfactory |
Not
indicated |
Total |
Unsatisfactory
(per cent) |
| Executive |
13
|
-
|
3
|
16
|
0.00
|
Aviation and
Airport Policy |
380
|
7
|
122
|
509
|
1.84
|
Transport
Programmes |
444
|
4
|
130
|
578
|
0.90
|
Information Services
and Executive
Services |
27
|
-
|
2
|
29
|
0.00
|
| Regional Policy |
90
|
-
|
9
|
99
|
0.00
|
| Transport Regulation |
262
|
-
|
40
|
302
|
0.00
|
Regional
Programmes |
361
|
2
|
82
|
445
|
0.55
|
Territories and
Local Government |
286
|
1
|
57
|
344
|
0.35
|
Business Services
Division |
27
|
-
|
5
|
32
|
0.00
|
Transport and
Infrastructure Policy |
150
|
2
|
22
|
174
|
1.33
|
Economic Research
and Portfolio Policy |
50
|
-
|
11
|
61
|
0.00
|
| Total |
2090
|
16
|
483
|
2589
|
0.76
|
Departmental
total for year |
4649
|
50
|
888
|
5587
|
1.08
|
Other activities:
- In 200102 the Department processed 8,059 pieces of Ministerial correspondence, prepared 213 draft responses to Parliamentary Questions on notice and answered 330 questions placed on notice during the Senate Estimates Committee hearings. A further 1,814 policy briefs and 188 meeting briefs and draft speeches were provided to the Ministers and Parliamentary Secretary in the course of the year.
- Departmental officers attended various Parliamentary Committee hearings and several Senate Estimates Committee hearings. Officers represented the Ministers in a manner consistent with Government Guidelines on the Attendance of Public Servants before Parliamentary Committees.
- The Department provided administrative services to the Ministers Offices including general purchasing support and the provision of four Departmental liaison officers (working full-time in the Ministers and Parliamentary Secretarys offices).
- The Department administered 122 statutes in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinets Legislation Handbook.
- Divisions prepared nine Cabinet Submissions in accordance with the Cabinet timetable and guidelines set out in Prime Minister and Cabinets Cabinet Handbook.
- The Department provided formal comments on 144 Cabinet submissions from other Departments.
Reports tabled by parliamentary committees on matters relating to the Department
The following reports were tabled during 200102 by the Joint Standing Committee on National Capital and External Territories:
- In the Pink or in the Red? Health Services on Norfolk Island
- Risky Business: Inquiry into the tender process followed in the sale of the Christmas Island Casino.
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