From Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce

The rationalisation of the public service has been one of the top advocacy issues for the Chamber Council for several years. In his acceptance speech in December 2013, President Johann Moxam pledged that the Chamber Council will continue to press vigorously for public sector reform and to work with the Government to progress this agenda with an aim of ultimately reducing costs for Chamber member businesses and residents.

“It is encouraging to see the Government is prepared to move forward with this initiative which is vital to the continued success of the Cayman Islands,” said President Moxam on behalf of the Chamber Council. “The Council would like to acknowledge the efforts and direction of the Governor, the Deputy Governor and the support of the elected Government to place this initiative at the forefront of the national agenda. The Chamber has been a strong advocate for responsible privatisation, outsourcing and public-private partnerships. Each of these areas should be explored with vigour and commitment.

We regard this implementation phase to be of paramount importance to this national initiative. We recommend the continued involvement with the private sector and change management expertise so that whatever recommendations are accepted for implementation are carried out in the most transparent, objective and efficient way possible. We look forward to the ongoing engagement with the consultants hired to complete the review.”

Last week the Chamber Council were invited by Deputy Governor the Hon. Franz Manderson to meet with representatives from Ernst & Young (E&Y); the firm hired by Government to carry out a rationalisation review of the public service. The aim of the review is three fold:

• To review rationalisation recommendations made in previous reports and to make recommendations on viability, priorities and implementation strategies.

• To undertake a strategic over view of the public service and identify those functions that would be better carried out by the private sector.

• To review government’s assets and recommend those that could be sold.

At the meeting the Chamber Council presented the consultants with a four-page letter addressing various issues that we believe should be incorporated in their review. Six key areas identified included:

1. Rationalisation of Government entities. Three particular examples include regulatory authorities (ICTA, Water, Utilities); Cultural organisations (there are currently three separate boards); capacity support for Boards; Tourism groups etc.

2. Simplification of Government. Costs can be reduced throughout government by simplifying processes and procedures, particularly in core government services.

3. Shared services. A central processing centre for control issues such as IT, Human Resources and Accounting can be introduced. Why does each government department and Ministry have its own transactional structure?

4. Strategy. What does the Government want to deliver for the money that is collected and spent? Is spending achieving the results that is intended to meet the national goals and objectives?

5. Affordability. Purchases and services may be regarded as “value for money” but can we afford them?

6. Values and Ethics. Competency issues in the public sector need to be addressed. A robust performance management system for the public sector needs to be introduced.

The Chamber Council supports reasonable measures to reduce the cost of government, improve performance and related efficiencies, privatize non-essential services, introduce and apply reasonable regulation, eliminate waste and unnecessary bureaucracy.

The Chamber Council reaffirmed their commitment to work with the Cayman Islands Government to achieve the rationalisation of the public sector.

“We consider the transition of public sector workers into the private sector to be of critical importance for the success of any ongoing rationalisation exercise. We must ensure that Caymanians who may lose their jobs are given the support to succeed in their efforts to be hired by the private sector and Chamber membership. The Chamber of Commerce is willing to partner with all relevant stakeholders such as the National Workforce Development Agency, Department of Commerce and Investment and the Ministry of Labour to assist in the transition,” noted the Chamber Council in the letter to the Deputy Governor.

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