Challenges of Institutional Housing Governance Reforms in the Public Service System
Lack of a formal Institutional Housing Governance Framework in the Public Service System has led to issues in fair distribution of housing for civil servants, impacting their job performance and social welfare. The government's efforts to improve the situation have not yielded the desired results, prompting a new directive for the Department of Personnel Management to develop policies. Challenges include inadequate funding, deteriorating infrastructure, and unfair distribution of housing. The need for oversight, regulation, and transparency is critical to address these issues.
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Rise Up, Step Up, Speak Up Department of Personnel Management Institutional Housing Governance Framework Reforms: Status and Challenges 28thNovember, 2023 www.dpm.gov.pg
Content Rise Up, Step Up, Speak Up Department of Personnel Management 1. Introduction 2. Issues 3. Strategy 4. Challenge 5. Feedbacks www.dpm.gov.pg
INTRODUCTION Currently within the Public Service system there is no formal structure of Institutional Housing Governance Framework put in place to ensure good governance practices in the whole aspects of implementation and management of institutional housing policy directives and management. Consequently, the provision of institutional housing to Public Servant over the years and at present is done on piece meal basis, creating a situation where great number of civil servants miss out on proper accommodation. For the sake of survival these civil servants have no choice but to live in cheaper form of accommodation in settlements or self-created make shift shelters which have detrimental impact on their job performance levels as well as social welfare of their families. Rise Up, Step Up, Speak Up Department of Personnel Management The National Government have been very concerned about civil servants less commitment to work and poor levels of goods and service delivery to the people of this country. Many efforts have been made to improve job performance levels of civil servants through the exercises of streamlining entire public service and each government agency making attempts to house their employees, however, all these efforts and others did not achieve the desired results. Realizing such failures, the Marape/Basil government had made a bold decision, directing the Department of Personnel Management (DPM) to design policy plans and strategies to house all civil servants right across the country. To support such efforts Institutional Housing Governance Framework becomes necessary to provide oversight, regulate fair allocation of housing, enforce compliance to set standards and promote culture of transparency and good governance. The main purpose of this document is to illustrate the functioning of the Institutional Housing Governance Framework. www.dpm.gov.pg
ISSUES Without the establishment of control mechanism such as Institutional Housing Governance Framework over the years and at present the regulation for providing fair distribution of Institutional Housing for public servants have become problematic and unmanageable. The defects have been obvious however the mandated and responsible State authorities have failed in many ways to address such defects. Rise Up, Step Up, Speak Up Department of Personnel Management According to the Discussion Paper on new Institutional Housing Management Strategy by Dr Bil Hambin, p2, he pointed out that the failure to effectively fund Institutional Housing has resulted in a situation today where infrastructure: o Has deteriorated to the extent that many institutional houses are unfit for human habitation and while others have simply been burnt down due to lack of routine maintenance; o Is inadequate to cater for increase demand as the available supply of housing stock is not there; and o Is not fairly distributed. www.dpm.gov.pg
ISSUES He also further stressed that such situation arose due to the flowing factors as stated below: Rise Up, Step Up, Speak Up Department of Personnel Management o There is no regular inspections of institutional houses and tenants are not made to pay for wanton destruction of infrastructure; o There is no execution of rental agreements outlining responsibilities of landlord and tenants; o There is no exercise of control over use of electricity and water usage in barracks types situation, eg police barracks; o There is no strategic maintenance plans for Institutional Housing and maintenance is done on ad-hoc and not priority driven; There is no forward planning for new Institutional Housing developments and as a result State lands held by various government departments remain undeveloped; and There is lack of cooperation among all government agencies in terms of sharing Vacant Institutional Housing information. Consequently, although vacant Institutional Houses are available under responsible agencies; they do not share that information with other government agencies which need vacant houses for their officers. www.dpm.gov.pg
STRATEGY To make this work there must be an establishment of Institutional Housing Governance Framework put in place. Its responsibilities are to: Rise Up, Step Up, Speak Up Department of Personnel Management To act as a facilitator and promoter for more developers to enter into the market of developing and providing standard and affordable housing for civil servants; To enforce compliance to set of regulations which governs the Institutional Housing market environment for the Housing project developers; To create and diversify business opportunities for developers of Institutional Housing; To set standards and regulate rental charges imposed by the landlords of Institutional Housing; and To provide oversight function over the housing stock management of Institutional Housing built using public money by all public bodies. www.dpm.gov.pg
STATUS Institutional Housings are not shared amongst agencies in the provinces due ownership issues and coordinated issues . Example: A Education house is vacant but a IFC officer can not allocated that house in Lae. Rise Up, Step Up, Speak Up Department of Personnel Management All Government agencies that own institutional housing required annually for funding for maintenance of Institutional Housing are turn due housing is not a key function of these agencies but if it is centrally coordinated by DPM. We believe our houses in disrepair and neglect can be maintenance and monitored in a coordinated approach Baseline surveyed currently been conducted. These data collected will assist DPM advise Government accurately of the number of Public Servants that o Rent on the open market o Rent institutional housing o Own their homes without Government assistance o Own homes with Government assistance o Living with relatives o Living in the village www.dpm.gov.pg
CHALLENGE Government Central Coordination and Policy Centre Government Institutional Housing and agencies buy-in of the proposed for all Rise Up, Step Up, Speak Up Department of Personnel Management DPM does not have the ultimate mandate to be the regulator of PS Housing Policy through the Institutional Housing Governance Framework. Review the PSMA Act, General Order and other enabling laws in order for DPM to have the legal mandate. www.dpm.gov.pg
FEEDBACK What do you think? Should we have Policy Institutional Housing Should DPM be the regulator of Institutional Housing under this Governance frame. Therefore review the PSMA Act, General Order and other enabling laws in order for DPM to have the legal mandate. Central Coordination and for all Rise Up, Step Up, Speak Up Department of Personnel Management Centre Government proposal of the www.dpm.gov.pg
Thank you Rise Up, Step Up, Speak Up Department of Personnel Management www.dpm.gov.pg
