DPM & PSC Merger
The National Executive Council has the merger between the Department of Personnel Management and the Public Service Commission.
This was one of the major announcement made by Secretary Ms. Taies Sansan during the second staff meeting held on the Friday 18th of August 2023.
Secretary took the time to congratulate DPM staff for their efforts in the department, as it was presented in Parliament by the Public Service Minister, Hon. Joe Sungi, the 2021 and 2022 Report.
She said most importantly, the Eleven (11) findings from the Delloitte Audit Report was presented in Parliament by the Minister, and this will see the Department finding solutions in addressing these findings.
The 11 findings are;
1. Large amounts paid every fortnight are not thoroughly reviewed,
2. Lack of data validation and data cleansing – which leads to incorrect payroll amounts,
3. Lack of automatic calculations in Alesco payroll system – which allows manual calculations outside the system,
4. Lack of consistent IT audit and lack of implementation of recommendations from previous IT audits,
5. Demarcation of functions (Conflict of Interest) between Department of Finance and Department of Personnel Management,
6. There is a need to upgrade the Alesco system from Version 12 to the latest version available at the time of implementation. The last upgrade was done in 2003. Latest upgrade available is version 20,
7. Leave records are not updated in Alesco – thereby leaving the risk open to processing wrong leave amounts and taking leave but having that taken leave accrue as untaken or fully paid upon retirement,
8. There are inconsistent salary grades across public agencies,
9. Lack of implementation of Disciplinary actions – resulting in multiple people paid on the same position,
10. Lack of training for HR Officers/IT and system users,
11. Operational (Goods & Services) funds, even miscellaneous funds, are often used to pay salaries of employees.
Secretary Ms. Sansan said in addressing these findings, DPM is proposing four key areas and solutions.
They are; Alesco Payroll Version upgrade from 12 to 20 which is in progress, Automation of General Order, which DPM is moving into technology phase and will see GO to be the first to be automated which is in progress, the Automation of key priorities such as the HRDSP and Business Proses, which are in progress, and lastly the Digital HR Reporting for the Whole of Government which is also in progress.
There is a Dashboard created, from which it will regularly show the payroll updates, information and statistics on Staffing and Establishment, Hiring, Unattached Officers in the Public Service, Tracking of the pay by all agencies as access was given already to some Agency heads, Provincial Administrators, and CEO’s of PHA’s.
The Special Parliamentary Committee on the Public Sector Reform and Service Delivery will keep track and provide the oversight role in assessing what the executive arm of the government is doing in implementing the particular NEC decision No; 196.
NEC has also approved reforms to DPM and to Public Service Commission, which will see some of the functions that are currently with PSC will be merged together with DPM and will become one.
Some of the functions that DPM is currently doing and some new functions, and the functions from PSC will all be put together under one agency.
“So there’s a proposal for this department to be renamed as the Department of Public Service,” said Ms Sansan.
Public Service Board of Commissioners will meet from time to time and are looking at having five commissioners.