13 Ministries proposed for restructured government [1]
Sunday, August 21, 2011 - 19:30. Updated on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 09:54.
Under a proposed new structure of the Tongan government, aimed to be in place by 1 July 2012, it is proposed there will be only 13 line ministries, which will include a new Ministry of Internal Affairs.
A Cabinet Working Group (CWG) in a statement on Thursday, 18 August, said the 13 government ministries will be:
1. Foreign Affairs and Trade
2. Tonga Defence Services
3. Prime Minister's Office
4. Finance and National Planning
5. Internal Affairs
6. Justice
7. Police, Prisons and Fire
8. Health
9. Education and Training
10. Commerce, Tourism, Industry and Public Enterprises
11. Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries
12.Transport, Works, Energy and Communications
13. Lands, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change.
Government bodies without ministries will be:
1. The Palace Office
2. Legislative Assembly and Audit
3. Commissioner for Public Relations (Ombudsman)
4. Crown Law.
The Cabinet Working Group was formed during the Cabinet retreat to Vava'u in May and mandated to produce a new structure of government for Tonga. They were to address a major constraint on the government budget, where as much as 97% of some line ministries budget goes on the salaries of the civil servants, leaving very little working capital for these ministries to carry out their duties.
On Thursday the CWG stated that they will present in an "interim implementation report" to the Cabinet Economic and Development Committee at the end of August, before their final report is presented on 30 November.
'Alifeleti Soakai, the Deputy Secretary to Cabinet, emphasized that these were proposals for Cabinet to consider.
CWG chairperson is Mishka Tu'ifua. Members include the Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet Busby Kautoke; Solicitor General 'Aminiasi Kefu; Secretary for Finance and National Planning, Tiofilusi Tiueti; CEO of the public Service Commission Dr Palenitina Langa'oi; and an undisclosed number of senior government officials.
At the Cabinet retreat in Vava'u the CWG was presented with a timetable-
- Interim Report to Cabinet by 30 September 2011
- Final Report to Cabinet by 20 December 2011
- Implementation of Cabinet Decision by 1 July 2012.
Another Retreat for Cabinet Ministers and CEOs was scheduled to be held in Tongatapu "following the completion of the first six months in office of the new government."
The new government formally came in on 13 January 2011, when parliament was opened by the Princess Regent, Princess Pilolevu.
Currently the government has a total of 12 ministers looking after all ministries.