Singapore Government Media Release
Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts,
140 Hill Street #02-02 MITA Building, Singapore 179369.
Tel: 837 9666

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The Singapore Public Service, which already receives strong accolades from international ratings agencies, is continuing to push for better public service delivery and higher service standards.

For some time now, the Singapore Public Service has been driving home the message that its officers must be less bureaucratic and more innovative. The ongoing process to move away from the traditional interpretation of merely enforcing laws has gathered steam. Civil servants now see themselves as facilitators, whose job is to make it easier for members of the public and companies to go about their business.

To spur more innovation and initiative among public servants, particularly those on the front line, the Managing for Excellence (MFE) Office of the Ministry of Finance will be holding a forum on "No Red-Tape!", in conjunction with the POWER (Public Officers Working on Eliminating Red-tape) Award ceremony, at the Institute of Public Administration and Management Auditorium on Tuesday, 4 September 2001 at 9.00 am. The forum will also see the inaugural POWER (Public Officers Working on Eliminating Red-tape) awards given to three outstanding Ministries.

Details of some of the initiatives of the Public Service are outlined in the following paragraphs, while background information is attached at Annexes A through D.

In Singapore, we have an efficient and responsive bureaucracy. Independent surveys confirm that Singapore ranks highly in Asia for being responsive to the needs of businesses, civil service efficiency, and the quality of the regulatory environment.

However, as our Public Service enters a new millennium, we need to reconsider the nature of public sector rules. The Singapore Public Service started the "More Vision, Less Bureaucracy" movement last year in response to the need to reduce bureaucracy and promote excellence in operational leadership.

Three initiatives have been established under the More Vision, Less Bureaucracy movement.

First, the setting up of the Pro-Enterprise Panel (PEP) by the PS21 Organisational Review Committee. PEP has for objective to make Singapore the No 1 pro-business environment in the world, for all companies big and small. Please see Annex A for more information on the Pro-Enterprise Movement.

Second, Public Service Division established the Zero-In Process (or ZIP). ZIP tackles a broad range of social and community issues of concern to the public. These are issues which cut across agencies. Please see Annex B for more information on ZIP.

Third, Ministry of Finance set up the POWER (Public Officers Working on Eliminating Red-tape) initiative to allow our officers a means of cutting red tape which they have spotted. A number of POWER Sessions have been held, by both Ministry of Finance and Public Service Division, to streamline Government Instruction Manuals. Please see Annex C for more information on POWER.

One of the public sector agencies which has led the way in cutting red tape is the Customs & Excise Department, which won the "Win $1000 Award" twice, a monthly award started by MTI in Sep 2000 to recognise the best pro-enterprise suggestion to cut red-tape by public sector officers. A short write-up on its approach to reducing bureaucracy is attached at Annex D.

The inaugural POWER Awards will given out at the forum. The POWER Award recognises Ministries that have demonstrated a high degree of activism in their efforts to remove and amend rules, and as a result, enhanced their delivery of services to the public.

The award will be given out twice yearly. Ministries were judged on their responsiveness to feedback and proactiveness in cutting bureaucracy and streamlining processes. Responsiveness was measured by the number of suggestions the Ministries successfully implemented under the PEP, ZIP and POWER initiatives, while proactiveness was assessed qualitatively by a panel comprising members from the public and private sectors, from examples given by Ministries.

The winners of the inaugural POWER Awards will be announced at the forum.

The Pro-Enterprise Movement, which was started in September last year, is another Government initiative under the More Vision Less Bureaucracy movement to encourage public officers to cut red tape and eliminate outdated rules.

Spearheading the movement is the Pro-Enterprise Panel (PEP) that is chaired by Head Civil Service, Mr Lim Siong Guan. The members include two Permanent Secretaries and six private sector representatives. The movement is supported by a network of Speed Teams for Enterprises (STENT) activists, which comprises Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries, CEOs of Statutory Boards and Heads of major Departments.

Since its inception, 141 pro-enterprise suggestions have been received from our businesses, of which 62 (or 44 %) have been accepted by our agencies and 18 others are under evaluation. MTI also started the "Win $1000 Award" which gives away $1,000 every month to the best pro-enterprise suggestion to cut red-tape by a public sector officer.

Public officers are encouraged to review existing rules so that they make better sense in the fast changing New Economy. Public officers in several departments have already begun such reviews, and as a result, their rules have become more business-friendly. The recent amendment to Companies Act to put in place technology-neutral regulations for the offering of securities was the result of a suggestion from public officers.

Previously, companies that offer shares and unit trusts to the public have to prepare prospectuses containing information on the securities that they are offering. This is to protect investors. Previously, if a company wants to offer its securities via digital channels e.g. through ATMs or the Internet, permission from the regulator is required. For example, if a company wants to offer securities via WAP handphones, it needs to obtain permission. Otherwise, it is a breach of the Companies Act. If the offer is done through the Internet, it must be accompanied by an online prospectus. However, if it is done through the ATM, an online prospectus is not required. The offerer just needs to lodge a copy of the prospectus with RCB and inform the investor where they could get a copy of the prospectus.

From an investor-protection point of view, there is no reason why there should be stricter regulations for offers made via the Internet, as compared to ATMs. The technology only affects the communication channel and not the nature of the transaction (which is to buy and sell securities). The Companies Act was amended to allow companies to use any technology when they offer securities to the public, as long as they satisfy the necessary investor-protection conditions i.e. the regulations are technology-neutral. It was decided that companies would only need to lodge a copy of the prospectus with RCB, and inform the investors where they could get a copy of the prospectus. Companies who offer securities through the Internet no longer need to provide an accompanying online prospectus, although they may still choose to do so for commercial reasons. The new provisions will give companies more flexibility when they offer securities to the public. They can make use of the most suitable technology to conduct the transaction. The provisions emphasise the principle of disclosure and require issuers to indicate where copies of prospectus are available. This would sufficiently protect the investing public irrespective of the communication channels used.

Another area of improvement is to look for ways to improve the co-ordination among Government agencies that formulate and enforce similar rules, so that businesses are not subject to multiple checks by different agencies on the same matter. Previously, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) would conduct separate quarterly surveys on approved and ongoing building projects. This was inefficient, as architects would fill in separate forms to submit to URA and BCA. After a joint review, URA and BCA now coordinate their surveys so that the architects will not be simultaneously surveyed by both agencies.

This is an exciting new effort by Government to reinvent itself as a leaner, and more efficient service provider, and such efforts have already been recognised internationally, as evidenced by the publication Asian Intelligence by the respected Political And Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd (PERC). In a survey this year on Bureaucracy in Asia, PERC noted that foreign businessmen working in Singapore rated "Singapore higher than any other country in Asia, including Hong Kong, for being responsive to the needs of business, for civil service efficiency, and for the quality of the regulatory environment".

ZERO-IN-PROCESS

Announced by DPM Lee Hsien Loong at the Annual Admin Service Dinner on 30 March 2001, the Zero-In-Process (ZIP) was set up by the Public Service to make its Ministries more aware that the public sees Government as one entity and to ensure that the different government agencies will work together at the back-end to deliver integrated and better services to the public.

2 ZIP aims to reduce the number of instances when the public has to go separately to various agencies for related services. It also seeks to identify and appoint the agencies responsible for various issues that impacts the public. A group of public officers (from various ministries) form the ZIP secretariat, which proactively looks for ways to cut red tape. ZIP secretariat keeps a vigilant watch for cases and issues that falls under the following categories:

• cross-agencies issues that cannot be resolved;
• unresolved cases that are beyond the responsibility of any agency;
• recurring, unresolved cases that indicate the presence of a systemic problem;
• cases and issues that point to a need for policies review

3 Since its beginning in October 2000, ZIP has successfully made changes to a number of areas within the Public Service.

4 Starting at the heart of the Public’s concerns, ZIP introduced 9 lead agencies that took on the responsibility of co-ordinating the maintenance of various public grounds (e.g. drainage problem, cleanliness of public street and grass verge, noise nuisance). With the introduction of these agencies, members of the public can now approach the lead agency directly for resolution instead of potentially being sent on a merry-go-round in search of the agency responsible.

5 For instance, previously various agencies can be responsible for a single issue like noise pollution. Ownership of the issue may be dependent on source, magnitude and locality. For example, members of the public should contact the police if the noise pollution concerned is created by neighbours. However, if the noise pollution is a result of vehicle traffic, then LTA would be the agency responsible. If the noise pollution exceeds a certain level, then ENV will take responsibility. Such segregation and distinction not only confuses the Public, it also frustrates them when being passed from one agency to another. With the appointed lead agencies, members of the public can now call ENV for all noise pollution issues and ENV will take the initiative to coordinate and direct the case to the right agencies.

6 Another example of lead agencies in action can be seen in the maintenance of drains. In the past, agencies have debated over the cost of repairs done to drains that straddle across land maintained by different agencies, either private or public. With the appointment of drainage department (Public Utilities Board) as the lead agency in charge of all drainage matters, members of the public can now raise cases of ill-maintained drains to drainage department directly without the need to find out whose drain it is. The lead agency will proceed to do the necessary repairs and sort out the cost allocation with the agencies involved later.

Likewise for the maintenance of roads, Land Transport Authority has been tasked with the responsibility of being the lead agency. This means that members of the public can now approach LTA directly if they need assistance to repair any damaged street lighting, furniture or simply the roads.

Another issue that ZIP looked at was the inconsistent way lands beneath the viaducts were maintained and managed. Previously, while some of these lands were maintained and used, others were left barren and bare.

The ZIP Action Team led by the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) recently reviewed the situation and concluded that land owners and the community will benefit from new value created by amalgamating land under the viaduct with the adjoining land. Economic value is created by transferring plot ratio from the viaduct land to the adjoining land to yield more usable space. In addition, recreational and social value are created by landscaping and turning the land under the viaduct into gardens, jogging tracks and surface carparks.

The result of amalgamating all the viaduct land with the adjoining land will free up the equivalent of about 60 ha of land, enough for another 18-hole golf course or 80 soccer fields.

The ZIP Secretariat welcomes feedback from the public on how the Public Service could provide more integrated and better public services. They can call 1800-334-7610, fax 3238454, email PSD_PS21@PSD.GOV.SG or write to:

ZIP Secretariat Public Service Division

Singapore 068811

POWER stands for Public Officers Working on Eliminating Red-tape. POWER aims to cut red tape by getting rid of cumbersome and obsolete public sector rules, such as rules in the Government Instruction Manuals (IMs). The goal of POWER is to give public officers greater flexibility at the operational level by focussing on the principles behind the rules, rather than the rules themselves.

A POWER website has been set up by the Managing for Excellence Office to receive suggestions from public sector officers and channel them to the policy owner for consideration. The agencies have to revert with their responses within two weeks.

Since the launch of the POWER website in late November 2000, 90 suggestions have been received. One quarter of the suggestions have resulted in the amendments of rules. Examples include:

• Doing away with the minimum divisional level requirement to perform specific operational jobs.

Instruction Manual on Procurement

• Setting up a website for all departments to post details of redundant stores so as to eliminate the need to physically circulate details of such redundant goods.

1. Other Rules

• A suggestion to send e-mail notices of maid levy, instead of hard-copy notices was accepted. Work Permit Department is now in the process of developing an on-line billing system for foreign worker levy. Employers of foreign workers, including employers of foreign domestic workers, will be able to check and print their monthly levy statements on-line via the Internet.

• A suggestion to remove the requirement by the Singapore Police Force to have a police permit for funeral processions was accepted. Police is now amending the law to do away with the need to apply for permits for funeral processions

POWER SESSIONS

Public sector officers are also involved in the improvement of Government rules as part of a structured process called POWER Session. The idea behind POWER Sessions is to get all public sector officers to discuss issues without worrying about rank or hierarchy; while rule owners need to act decisively on the proposed solutions. POWER Sessions focus on the cutting of red tape within the Government, in particular Government Instruction Manuals (IMs).

Ministry of Finance and Public Service Division have successfully completed several POWER Sessions for IMs on finance, procurement and personnel issues. 50 rules have been amended or eliminated as a result.

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Singapore’s Customs and Excise Department (CED) scored a first when its officers won two top awards for finding ways to better serve members of the public and businesses.

The CED’s drive to improve service standards stems from a recognition that the role of the CED has changed. It is no longer solely an enforcer of regulations. CED officials have embraced a sea-change in their customer-service values, and now see themselves as facilitators. Besides examining internal processes and regulations, CED officials have held dialogues with other regulatory authorities to find ways to make it easier for the public and companies to import items into Singapore. What follows are two award-winning examples of initiatives taken by CED officials.

In this way, the public no longer has to make multiple trips to the Singapore Post Centre and the FPD. It is estimated that the time and manpower cost savings alone amount to more than $ 336,000.00 per year.

Spurred by the positive feedback from the public, the CED will be extending this working arrangement to other departments, including the Health Sciences Authority (which oversees the import of pharmaceuticals, including Western prescription medicine, health foods and vitamins, and Chinese medicine), the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (which oversees the import of agricultural and animal produce), the Arms and Explosives Department and the Ministry of Environment.

The Liquor Licencing Branch (LLB), a section within the Customs and Excise Department (CED), has made it easier to apply to operate establishments serving liquor. In actively seeking feedback from applicants, the LLB realised that a procedure where applicants had to take out and pay for an advertisement in local newspapers was an onerous and expensive undertaking.

The purpose of the advertisements are so that residents in the area where the applicant proposes to start an establishment selling liquor would have the opportunity to voice their concerns. However, reseach by LLB officers showed that of the nearly 1,000 applications (and advertisements) there were only 6 incidents of a response from the public. Furthermore, the LLB’s research showed that the public’s interest was served in other ways -- the applicant is required to post a notice at the proposed premises, and concerned residents could respond to this notice.

Ms Glenda Chua, (former Secretary of the Liquors Licensing Board), said, "We found that we could save the applicants a lot of time and money by doing away with the print advertisements. They didn’t have to make several trips to show us the adverts, and they could save the money."

LLB solution was to offer applicants a free service where their application is displayed on the LLB website. This reduces the amount of money and time spent by applicants.

Mr Benjamin Eng, General Manager of Seven-Eleven, said, " The initiatives implemented since this year had been a positive move by the Liquors Licensing Board. The cessation of the need to advertise has also helped us to reduce costs on the process and the time to apply for our liquor licence."

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