Parliamentary Service, Te Ratonga Whare Paremata
Presented to the House of Representatives pursuant to Section 39 of the Public Finance Act 1989
A.13 SOI (2011)
ISSN: 1176-5399
Foreword: Speaker of the House of Representatives
This Statement of Intent sets out the strategic direction of the Parliamentary Service for the
years 2011 to 2014. The Service continues to focus on enhancing its overall performance and efficiency, meeting the needs of members of Parliament and the House of Representatives in an efficient and cost effective way.
The Service is committed to improving service delivery to members of Parliament and the House of Representatives by building on the initiatives of previous years. The two strategic objectives in this Statement of Intent set out the Service’s intentions: Deliver High Quality Service to Members and Parties and Accessible Parliament. Successful achievement of these objectives is challenging but the clear benefits will be enhanced delivery of services to members.
The 2011 General Election is a key focus for the Service this year and work has already begun in earnest to make a smooth transition from the 49th to the 50th Parliament.
I am confident that this Statement of Intent for 2011 to 2014 reflects the continuation of major improvements the Service is putting into place to provide members of the House of Representatives with quality administrative and support services and to administer the payment of funding entitlements.
Dr The Rt Hon Lockwood Smith, MP
Speaker of the House of Representatives
21 April 2011
Speaker’s statement of responsibility
I am satisfied that the information on future operating intentions provided by the Parliamentary Service in this Statement of Intent is in accordance with sections 38, 40 and 41 of the Public Finance Act 1989 and the Information Supporting the Estimates and is consistent with my requirements and performance expectations as Responsible Minister for the Parliamentary Service.
Dr The Rt Hon Lockwood Smith, MP
Speaker of the House of Representatives and Responsible Minister for the Parliamentary Service
Date 21 April 2011
Introduction from the General Manager
The Parliamentary Service is continuing to make substantial changes to the way it operates and to improve its service delivery to members of Parliament. While these service improvements are taking place, the Service is planning for the transition from the 49th to the 50th Parliament in November 2011. The Service is also preparing for the changes which have been proposed to the way that members’ entitlements are established, with this change likely to occur about the same time as the general election.
Over the last two years, the Service has focussed on improving its systems and processes. The reasons are simple. We need to improve our efficiency, and therefore cost effectiveness. Having standardised processes allows the transition from one Parliament to the next to be largely business as usual, with vastly increased volumes of work in a compressed timeframe. The election transition is a key focus for the Service as we continue refining systems and processes in preparation for supporting those members returning or leaving, and new members arriving.
The two strategic objectives the Service has set for the next three years are a refinement of previous objectives. These are: Deliver High Quality Services to Members and Parties; and Accessible Parliament. The initiatives set out under these objectives will position the Service to deliver quality services and support to members and parties by skilled, knowledgeable staff. Where we can, we will be maximising the opportunities available from a recently upgraded technology platform to ensure that routine transactional activity is automated, providing members with less paperwork and improving access to information they require.
Using technology to its best advantage continues as a strong focus for the Service. We are being proactive in ensuring that members have access to the technology they require in order to perform their roles. We are also looking for ways to rationalise the technology infrastructure on the precinct. We are currently working with Ministerial Support (Department of Internal Affairs) to rationalise our two networks, and we are working with the Office of the Clerk on developments for our joint website and intranet.
The next three years will have opportunities and challenges. This plan establishes a framework for our strategic outcome, maximising the opportunities and preparing for the challenges ahead. While we acknowledge these challenges, I am confident that the improvements that we have made over the last two years will stand the Service in good stead, firstly as we support the transition to the next Parliament, and then into the future.
Geoff Thorn
General Manager
Date 21 April 2011
Chief Executive statement of responsibility
In signing this statement, I acknowledge that I am responsible for the information contained in the Statement of Intent for the Parliamentary Service. This information has been prepared in accordance with the Public Finance Act 1989. It is also consistent with the proposed appropriations set out in the Appropriations (2011/12 Estimates) Bill, as presented to the House of Representatives in accordance with section 13 of the Public Finance Act 1989, and with existing appropriations and financial authorities.
Geoff Thorn
General Manager
Date 21 April 2011
Priya Baskaran
Financial Controller
Date 21 April 2011
Nature and scope of functions
The Parliamentary Service is responsible for providing administrative and support services to members of Parliament and for administering funding entitlements for parliamentary purposes. The Service’s empowering legislation is the Parliamentary Service Act 2000, which states in Section 7 that the principal duties of the Parliamentary Service are:
(a) to provide administrative and support services to the House of Representatives and to members of Parliament; and
(b) to administer, in accordance with directions given by the Speaker, the payment of funding entitlements for parliamentary purposes.
The Service is not part of Executive Government, but is classified as part of the wider state sector.
The Parliamentary Service provides services to members and the agencies in the parliamentary precincts and its operations are focused on supporting members, wherever they are. Its overall objective
is “Provision of high-quality services to Parliament” to support members to get on with the business of Parliament, thereby supporting the overall outcome of a valued institution of Parliament.
Members have several roles they fulfil as legislators and representatives in a parliamentary democracy, including providing a government, making the law, scrutinising the activities of government and holding it to account, developing policy, debating public issues and helping constituents. The Service, with other agencies such as the Office of the Clerk and Ministerial Support (Department of Internal Affairs)
, provides members with the tools, staff and working spaces they need to fulfil their roles as effectively as possible. This includes security, technology and other infrastructure services, plus the systems and people to ensure the smooth running of the organisation and the Parliament precincts.
Members have entitlements designed to fund the work that they do. These entitlements, as set out in the Speaker’s Directions, are provided for through a number of departmental and non-departmental appropriations. The Parliamentary Service has two roles to fulfil in relation to the entitlements: as a service organisation in supporting members in the effective use of all of their entitlements and in ensuring that spending is within the prescribed limits.
In November 2010 the Government announced its acceptance, in principle, to the Law Commission’s recommendation that members entitlements are set by an independent body. The full impact of this announcement on Parliamentary Services is unknown at the time of writing this Statement of Intent, however it is likely to mean some change to the administration of these entitlements.
The output classes through which the Service delivers its functions (departmental outputs) are:
(a) Services to Members and
(b) Operations, Information and Advisory Services Multi-Class Output Appropriation (MCOA)
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Parliamentary Information Services
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Buildings and Operations Management
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Policy Advice
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Personnel and Accounting Services to Members and Other Agencies and Travel Office Services.
The Service administers capital expenditure related to the upkeep of the buildings and grounds of the parliamentary precincts. It also administers, on behalf of the Crown, non-departmental appropriations that fund members’ entitlements and salaries. The administration of Crown appropriations is conducted through services and staff funded by the Service’s two departmental appropriations.
Strategic direction
Deliver high quality service to members and parties
The Parliamentary Service provides a varied range of services to members and parties, in order to assist them fulfil their roles as representatives and legislators, as set out in the Speakers Directions and within the Appropriations. The standards to which these services will be delivered, are articulated in a service catalogue agreed with members. During the period 2011 to 2014 the Service will implement cost effective initiatives, where possible in collaboration with other precinct agencies, that drive enhanced service delivery through people, technology and processes. This will also include maintaining strong dialogue with members to ensure expectations are agreed and met.
During this period the Service must also provide support and assistance for the transition between the 49th and 50th Parliaments. The Service will be well prepared and provide appropriate support to ensure this transition is smooth.
Accessible Parliament
Parliament requires public engagement in order to be effective. The Service supports this engagement by ensuring that the public has access to information, is able to visit Parliament, that Parliament’s heritage buildings are appropriately maintained and that the necessary facilities for the day-to-day running of Parliament are provided.
Information is made available to the public through the Parliament website, which is jointly owned by Parliamentary Service/Office of the Clerk and other information and education services. Visitors to Parliament participate in Select Committee hearings, observe Parliament in action and make use of Parliament’s grounds. The Service facilitates visitor’s access by providing a 24/7 security service to ensure that Parliament is safe and secure. Heritage buildings on the Precinct are maintained to an appropriate level by the Service. A range of other important facilities that support the functioning of Parliament are also provided.
Managing in a changeable operating environment
Critical aspects of managing in a changing operational environment are planning, monitoring and reporting. The Service has made, and will continue to make, significant improvements in these areas. The Service had developed a comprehensive annual planning calendar to ensure all activities are undertaken in a timely and coordinated manner which now includes planning, budgeting and project prioritisation, and quarterly reporting.
The challenging economic conditions and many other factors in our operating environment have shaped our Strategy for the period 2011-2014. Major influences on our work include:
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the need to ensure preparations are complete to support the transition between the 49th and 50th Parliament at the 2011 general election;
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the recent announcement by the Government of its acceptance, in principle, of the Law Commission’s recommendation [Review of the Civil List Act – Members of Parliament and Ministers (NZLC R119)] that there be structural change to the members’ entitlements system, therefore legislative reform is a distinct possibility in this area in 2011/12;
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on-going funding constraints of managing within current, and potentially reducing, operating budgets is challenged by rising costs of utilities and rental costs, as well as retaining (the most skilled) staff;
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the need to take a longer-term view of our operating environments and exploit new technology wherever practicable;
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feedback from audit reports, the triennial review (Appropriations Review Committee), the Speaker’s Assurance Committee, select committees, and other stakeholders (which has assisted the Service to improve processes);
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the need to maintain, monitor, report on and enhance as appropriate security capability and requirements both within the Parliamentary precincts and for out-of-Parliament offices and staff;
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the need to ensure that the Service is able to continue to meet the needs of the Office of the Speaker, Parliament, members, and parties where an adverse event occurs (business continuity).
Risk management
The responsibility for identifying and managing risk resides at all levels within the Service. The Senior Management Team is responsible for identifying the key risks that may impact on the achievement of the strategic objectives, for monitoring the effectiveness of mitigation strategies, and for ensuring that strategic and operational risks are clearly aligned and appropriately managed. The General Manager must therefore ensure that the risk management framework is embedded within the Service and that all organisational risks are managed to the expectations of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The risk management framework provides a systematic process for the identification and evaluation of organisational risks (both in terms of threats and opportunities) to the Service achieving its objectives. It provides an effective discipline for helping managers improve decision making and performance, including the allocation of resources to the areas that will provide the greatest value for money.
The risks being managed by the Service relate to the impact that systems, processes and management practices, combined with the operating environment, have on the reputation of the Office of the Speaker, members and Parliament. The specific risks are:
A management assurance programme and an internal audit programme ensure that the mitigation strategies for key organisational risks are being managed effectively. The internal audit function is outsourced to a specialist provider.
The Speaker’s Assurance Committee has an independent membership and provides further assurance to the Speaker on the risk, control and compliance framework. This is relative to the operations of the Parliamentary Service appropriations, for which the Speaker is the responsible Minister. This role includes having oversight of the Service’s risk management framework and the internal audit function.
The committee’s review programme for the next period includes the review of risk management plans for major projects, monitoring the implementation of actions to address the findings of both internal and external audit, legislative compliance and other specific risk assurance issues.
Assessing organisational health, capability and performance
In order to support the business of Parliament, provide services to members and parties and contribute to the outcomes sought by Government, the Service will:
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continue to enhance service delivery to the Service’s client groups, particularly members of Parliament and Parliamentary Parties,
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effectively and efficiently manage the transition of the 49th to 50th Parliament,
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improve organisational performance by providing equivalent or improved services at the current cost through the efficient management of human and capital resources,
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provide modern, secure and flexible information services. These services will support the work of members and parties, as well as other agencies working to support Parliament or the Executive,
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equip members and parties to be effective in the changing communication environment, including the use of new communication methods (such as social networking) and changing communication platforms,
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communicate and engage efficiently with all stakeholders.
During 2010 the Service introduced several initiatives to improve its capability:
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the introduction of an Information Services Strategic Plan (ISSP) and significant improvements in the technology available to members, parties and their staff,
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the introduction of a People Capability strategic framework to lift the Service’s human capability,
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re-engineering organisational arrangements, initially involving reviews of its Security, Human Resources, and Information Technology functions and moving to several other organisational units during 2011
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commencing the measurement of organisational performance through significantly improved business planning and establishment of organisational health measures.
During 2011/12 the Service will build on these initiatives as follows:
Information and technology services
We will consolidate the gains made through the significant upgrade to our information and communication platform. This consolidation will involve:
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partnering with other agencies involved in supporting Parliament to deliver continuing efficiency gains across the Parliamentary precincts,
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implementation of the Service’s information services strategic plan,
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continuing to improve the support available to members and parties in the use of new communication technologies such as social networking and a wider range of technology devices.
Capability and performance
As part of its longer term activity to lift the productivity of its human resources and improve its capability to respond to the needs of its clients, the Service will continue to implement the following streams of work:
Election Capability Improvements
During 2005 and 2008 the Service implemented a temporary management structure to deliver each general election. The Service intends that election management and delivery will be a core capability of its organisation and be delivered as a component of business as usual. The capability of the Service’s established management team will be utilised for the 2011 General Election and the transition from the 49th to 50th Parliament, without the requirement for extensive additional management resources.
Leadership and Management Development
In order to create the necessary momentum to continue to improve its performance, the Service will ensure it has the capability to manage change. During 2010 the Service implemented a significant programme of change; including adjustment of organisational structures; the rollout of new information and communication technologies and re-engineering of established processes and systems. These changes are expected to continue at a similar pace during 2011. Developing change capability within the Service’s management team is an essential part of managing the strategic and operational risks associated with significant on-going change.
As an initial approach to introducing change management capability, the Service investigated best practice change management methodologies. During 2011 the Service will:
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establish an organisational change coordination group to ensure change is implemented using consistent and appropriate business processes,
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formally adopt a change management methodology and skill change leaders in its use,
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ensure that change is actively managed and reported at a senior level.
As a component of its long term strategic planning process, the Service has identified a set of organisational values and key competencies. These are required to support the culture which will achieve the Service’s long term objectives in a rapidly changing environment.
Systems and Processes
Over the coming year, as well as continuing to develop existing technology and bed down recent changes to the Financial Management Information System and the Human Resources Information System, the Service will be rolling out new tools such as the Chameleon Executive Information System and Budget Tool and SharePoint, an information collaboration tool.
The Chameleon Executive Information System and Budget Tool will integrate information from various systems to allow for budgeting and reporting to be undertaken more accurately. Stage 1 of the project was the implementation of the budgeting and reporting tool, Stage 2, which will commence in 2011, is concerned with the integration of non-financial information and data analysis.
Organisational health and capability measures
During 2011/12 the Service will commence measuring and reporting on a range of activities related to its overall health and capability. To achieve this, the Service has re-aligned its human resources function and developed internal collaborative structures.
The Service has identified the five interlinking key measures. Reporting against these measures will provide information for the Service to assess its performance at any given moment to allow strategic decisions to be made in relation to the types of activities which should be undertaken given organisational restraints and the volume and frequency of these activities.
The intelligence provided by reports against these four measures will inform management decision making allowing the actions to be targeted in areas which will improve overall performance.
Measures of cost effectiveness
For much of the Service’s work it is not practical to undertake full cost-benefit or cost-utility analysis, however we can cost a number of transactional activities and propose to commence detailed work in this area. This work aims to:
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identify the key services and activities that are critical to efficient delivery of those services
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identify the cost of those services
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concentrate on efficiently delivering those services
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phase out any activities or services that are not essential to the Services core business
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define these services/activity measures along with first contact resolution as two essential elements in planned productivity gain.
Post implementation, all information technology and business process projects will be reviewed against defined success criteria. Surveys and discussions with service users and other stakeholders will be continued to determine whether the range and quality of services are meeting their needs. The results of these reviews and surveys help inform us about the timeliness, effectiveness and quality of our interventions.
Equal employment opportunities
The Parliamentary Service continues to integrate EEO principles into its business processes, notably in organisational planning documents, recruitment policies and procedures, training and development opportunities, and induction. All policies developed or reviewed by the People Capability group are checked to ensure they are consistent with the principles of EEO.
Capital and asset management intentions
The Crown-owned buildings of the parliamentary precincts are buildings of national and historical significance. These valuable assets require careful management to ensure that their value and significance is protected.
The following key building projects will be undertaken during the three year period covered by this Statement of Intent. These projects, which are not an exhaustive list of all projects, have been assessed as being critical for the purposes of legislative compliance or which address issues arising from deferred maintenance.
Forecourt diesel fuel tank replacement
This is a compliance issue. The existing tanks do not comply with current HASNO standards.
Parliament House roof safety rails
This is a Health and Safety compliance issue.
Parliament Library exterior painting and repairs
Repairs to exterior plaster, timber window joinery, decorative metal work and roof leaks are required to prevent further damage to the building fabric.
Executive Wing electrical distribution board update
This work was deferred at the time of the Executive Wing refurbishment and is now required to maintain the safety and reliability of the electrical distribution boards.
Chilled water remediation – Parliament House, Parliamentary Library and Executive Wing
This work was deferred at the time of the Executive Wing refurbishment and is now required to enable the efficient energy management of the chilled water system which is an essential component of the heating and air conditioning systems.
Parliament House galleria double glazing units replacement
The doubled glazed glass roof glazing panels above the Galleria and Conservatory are leaking at the joints, delaminating and are at the end of their service life.
Exterior light fittings refurbishment
This work addresses the long term effects of corrosion above ground and water damage below ground on the steel light fittings.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning replacements
The replacement of worn out or failed equipment to enable the environmental systems to be maintained at full operational efficiency.
Executive Wing copper roof and window replacement
This work was deferred at the time of the Executive Wing refurbishment; it is now critical to avert further damage to the building fabric.
Parliament House Select Committee Rooms sound system replacement
The existing sound system has exceeded its service life and requires a full replacement.
Executive Wing fire alarm panel replacement
The fire panel and peripherals are no longer supported by the manufacturer in New Zealand. To maintain a reliable fire protection system the replacement panel will be compatible with the other precinct fire protection systems equipment.
Executive Wing basement plan room flooring repairs
This work was deferred at the time of the Executive Wing refurbishment. It is now critical to avoid water migration into the National Crisis Management Centre.
Parliament House and Executive Wing external condition report
This report is critical to enable Capital and Asset Management Plan forward work planning.
Overview of services - forecast performance standards
Scope of appropriation
Operations, Information and Advisory Services (Multi-class Output Appropriation)-
The parliamentary precincts meet the constitutional and institutional requirements of a Parliament; that is, providing accessibility and security, a forum for debate and public participation, and effective office facilities and support services.
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Parliamentary Information Services: This output class is limited to the provision of library and electronic information services through the Parliamentary Library; the provision of computing facilities; and computing and telecommunications advisory services associated with these.
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Buildings and Operations Management: This output class is limited to the provision of building maintenance and operational services for the parliamentary precincts.
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Policy Advice: This output class is limited to the provision of information, analysis and advice to the Speaker, the Parliamentary Service Commission, and the Parliamentary Corporation.
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Personnel and Accounting Services to Members and Other Agencies: This output class is limited to the provision of services to members, Leader and Whip offices, providing travel, accounting, staffing advice and support, health safety and wellness, payroll services; and, bureau accounting and payroll services to other parliamentary agencies.
Parliamentary Information Services
Objective: Members and other clients have the access to information services, both electronically and through the provision of library and information services, that they require to undertaken their roles effectively.
Buildings and Operations Management
Objective: The Parliamentary Service is responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the Crown’s heritage buildings are managed in accordance with legislation and that both members and staff working within the Parliamentary Precincts and visitors are safe and secure at all times.
Policy Advice
Objective: That quality policy advice and support is provided to the Speaker and General Manager as independently benchmarked against other agencies
Personnel and Accounting Services to Members and Other Agencies
Objective: Bureau accounting and personnel services are provided to the Speaker, members and other agencies within the precincts
Services to Members
Objective: Members are provided with high calibre support staff and facilities and services to assist them fulfil their roles as representatives and legislators.
