Fundamentally, good governance is about:
- delivering priorities
- achieving objectives
- behaving with integrity
- acting in the public interest
Governance is concerned with developing and implementing appropriate structures and processes for directing and managing an organisation, so that stakeholders can be assured that the organisation is operating effectively and efficiently.
In the case of civil service departments, governance focuses on the legal, regulatory, policy and service obligations and on the sets of relationships between the Minister, Minister of State, Secretary General, the Executive Board, senior management, the Committees, all staff and stakeholders in determining the direction and performance of the organisation.
Legislation is often identified as the key driver of governance arrangements in government departments but there is also a wide variety of good practice guidelines and authoritative guidance that outline much of the governance obligations for civil and public service organisations.
Effective governance:
- encourages the efficient use of resources
- strengthens accountability for the stewardship of those resources
- improves management and service delivery, and thereby contributes to improving peoples’ lives
Therefore, Governance is not just for the preserve of management. Good governance is integral to all the department’s strategic and operational policies and practices which encompass the objectives, plans, relationships, accountabilities, resources, processes and activities for implementing and continually improving governance arrangements throughout the organisation.
We all have an important role to play in collectively committing to the good governance of the department through the requirements of this framework and adhering to the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviours in the performance of our duties.
The department has developed a Governance Framework in line with Corporate Governance Standard for the Civil Service that was recently approved by Government that is one of the key actions of the Civil Service Renewal Plan.
The purpose of this Department’s Governance Framework (GF) is to provide a clear and comprehensive summary of the principal aspects of corporate governance within the Department of Finance.
Corporate governance is vitally important for the Department in effectively discharging its statutory and policy obligations. It ensures that a framework of structures, policies and processes are in place to deliver on these obligations and it also allows for an objective assessment of management and corporate performance.
The Governance Framework focuses on key areas of governance and it also points to sources of more detailed guidance and includes within the appendices, key governance documents addressing assurance, compliance, planning and oversight arrangements.
It is envisaged that the GF will be further developed over time as the governance agenda and needs of the Department and its stakeholders evolve.
