Paris, May 26, 2008

1. Project ‘Reduction of Administrative Burden for Professionals’ Paris, May 26, 2008

2. Structure • Introduction • Modernisation Gov • Organisational chart • Objectives • Methodology • Profiles • Activities • Challenges

3. Introduction • Current Dutch cabinet has placed the reduction of administrative burden high on the agenda; • Towards an integral effort to reduce burdens for citizens, companies and professionals; • Professionals in the public sector are not satisfied: they do not have time for their ‘real’ work; • Excess of admin burden leads to increased workrelated stress, alienation, low attraction value of public sector jobs, labour market shortages, problems with service delivery; • 2006: a quick scan showed that all professionals deal with administrative burdens. These are partly enforced by the central government, but are as often imposed by organisations themselves, or even citizens! • 2007 Project plan approved by State Secretary Bijleveld • New questions: factual burdens vs. perceived burdens?

4. Modernisation of Central Government • Policy priority to reduce admin burden is partly financed by the Modernisation of Government Program (2007-2011); • Aim: better and smaller government; • ‘Smaller’ means: 12.800/175.000 functions less, 630 mln/10 bln euro saved; • Main cutbacks in policy making, overhead, inspection. No major cutbacks in operations; • ‘Better’ means: less fragmentation, more cooperation between ministries, working in flexible projects, more mobility of staff, better service delivery, less regulation, better operations management, shared services. • Success depends on political and managerial determination, but also on the amount of new policies and regulation.

5. Organisational chart • Directorate-General Kingdom Relations and Governance DG board Cabinet affairs Staff office DGBK Innovation- and Informationpolicy Employment Public Sector Other divisions

6. Objectives • Main objective: • To substantially reduce administrative burdens of 16 types of professionals in the public sector from 2007-2011. This will bring about a change in the perception of the 5 main burdens when it comes to administrative burdens and a noteworthy reduction of time spend on these burdens. • Professionals are executive government or semi-government employees with frequent contact with citizens.

7. Objectives • Three subobjectives: • Improve the awareness about the nature of and need for ‘administration’ • Showing confidence in, appreciation for and involvement with the work of professionals. • Provide strategies and best practices that enable organisations to organise administrative burdens.

8. Methodology • Quick scan and focus groups • 4 Domains selected: Health care, Social security, Education, Safety • Profiles of professionals will give more insight into the administrative burdens • 2007-2008: quantitative research (time spend en perceived) • Top 5 burdens based on research: cabinet to solve these • Disclosures office • 2010-2011: quantitative research will prove whether burdens have been solved

9. Profiles • Four profiles in each domain: • Health care: Social security: • Hospital nurse Front office employee GSD • Medical specialist Casemanager UWV • Family doctor Casemanager CWI • Family guardian Service team member SVB • Education: Safety: • Teacher primary school Local police officer • Director primary school Inspector • Technical teacher VMBO Managing fire officer • Teacher MBO District attorney

10. Activities • Initiation: 2007 • Zero Measurement: 2007-2008 • Implementation: 2009 • Effect Measurement: 2010-2011 • Completion: 2011 • Other: communication: on-going

11. Activities Communication Effect measuremnt Zero-measurement Implementation 2011 2009 2010 2008 2007 INITIATION COMPLETION

12. Some challenges • Cooperation with other departements • Converting research results into practical solutions • Dealing with political pressure • Mitigating the effects of new regulation/policies • Benefits professionals vs. benefits citizens