Regional govt reform proposal floated

The finance ministry on Monday floated a draft proposal for implementation of the regional government reforms, said an official press release.

The proposal is circulated for comments until June 19.

The draft document is linked to the government proposal on health, social services and regional government reforms which was submitted to parliament on March 2.

It contains proposals for amending the special acts enabling transfer of certain duties to the counties from the state, municipalities and joint municipal authorities. The responsibility for organising the services and duties mentioned in the draft proposal would be transferred to the counties as of 2019.

It also contains proposals for setting up a new national supervisory authority. It would be assigned the licensing, steering and supervision duties of the state that are currently performed by the regional state administrative agencies, the centres for economic development, transport and the environment and the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health. These agencies and centres would be dissolved in connection with the regional government reform. The National Supervisory Authority would start its operations on 1 January 2019.

The government outlined the counties’ duties in April 2016. It also defined the principles for division of duties in the new administrative structure, stating that as of 1 January 2019 the counties’ duties will be based on a clear division of duties between the state, counties and municipalities.

The duties will be transferred to the counties from municipalities, regional councils, joint municipal authorities, regional state administrative agencies, the centres for economic development, transport and the environment, employment and economic development offices, and the Development and Administration Centre for the centres and offices.

The draft proposal now sent out for comments contains legislative proposals on implementing the transfer of duties to the counties in the fields of environmental healthcare, agricultural administration, fisheries and water management, water protection, water supply, education, promotion of culture and sports, archipelago traffic and joint services as well as certain other duties. The other duties referred to in the draft bill on the Counties Act will be transferred to the counties through other government proposals to be submitted to parliament later in 2017.

The health, social services and regional government reforms also involve a restructuring of the central government administration. An entirely new kind of model for ministries’ joint agencies has been developed. The government has proposed establishing a new national supervisory authority. This agency would have most of the duties of the current regional state administrative agencies and the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health and some of the duties of the centres for economic development, transport and the environment, and the Development and Administration Centre. The government also proposes to dissolve the above agencies and centres.

The new national supervisory authority would be a state authority with national competence and multi-sectoral duties. It would safeguard the fundamental rights and legal protection, and protect public interest by implementing legislation and by performing various steering and supervision duties. It would be a national agency that operates through offices in all counties, basing its activities on new, proactive and cross-sectoral practices.

The government also proposes an Act on the State Department of Åland, whose duties would remain largely unchanged.

Good human resources policy will be respected in the reform. Employees will be transferred from the state, municipalities and joint municipal authorities to corporate entities owned or controlled by counties or corporate entities that belong to county corporations in accordance with transfer-of-business principles, so that they retain their current rights and obligations under the terms of their employment or public-service employment relationships. Employees under a fixed-term contract will be transferred to the new employers’ service for the duration of their contract.

When employees are transferred between state agencies, as a rule, the positions and theirs holders will be transferred to the same agency or agencies where their duties are transferred. State employees under a fixed-term contract, too, will be transferred to the new employers’ service for the duration of their contract.

The regional government reform does not contain any targets for cutbacks on staff, and the aim is to avoid relocation of employees.