What was the actual reason for establishing the Ministry of Public Administration?
 
 
The previous dispersal of services, the objective to improve the functioning of the public administration, periodical inconsistencies in the functioning of these services, and the need for rationalisation of both the HR and the funds altogether led to the idea of establishing a new ministry. In so doing, we followed the example of other EU Member States with similar ministries.
 
 
Which services were incorporated into the Ministry of Public Administration?
 
 
By establishing a new Ministry of Public Administration, three government services were attached to it: the Government IT Support Centre, Joint Services of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Human Resources Service of the Government of Slovenia, and two directorates, previously part of the Ministry of the Interior: Public Administration Directorate and Public Sector Directorate.
 
 
Will the establishment of the new ministry cause redundancy of civil servants in the public administration?
 
 
Not at all. The announced 1% annual reduction of the number of employees in the civil part of the public administration will be achieved through a normal outflow, meaning that after the withdrawal from the post, or after retirement of employees, there will be no new employments.
 
 
Which are the main objectives of the new ministry?
 
 
In the objectives of the Ministry of Public Affairs we particularly emphasised friendliness and efficiency towards the users of our services, i.e. Slovenian citizens, companies and civil servants. We are aware of the fact that only highly educated, qualified, motivated and satisfied civil servants can be more friendly towards their customers. We will also endeavour to remove administrative barriers, facilitate smooth and transparent functioning of the public administration, speed-up the development of e-Government, and above all, we wish to improve the economy of our state administration.
 
 
Who is a civil servant?
 
 
A civil servant is a person who enters an employment relationship in the public sector, which, under the Civil Servants Act, consists of:
• state bodies and administrations of self-governing local communities,
• public agencies, public trust funds, public institutions and public commercial institutions,
• other entities governed by public law, where they are indirect users of the state budget or the local community budget.
 
Public utilities and commercial companies with the majority holding (or controlled by) the State or a local community, under this Act are not part of the public sector. Senior officials in the state or local communities’ bodies are not civil servants.
 
 
Which are the state administration bodies?
 
A ‘state body’ denotes bodies within the state administration, namely: ministries, bodies within the relevant ministry, government departments and administrative units. Other state bodies are: the National Assembly, the National Council, the Constitutional Court, the Court of Audit, the Ombudsman, the judicial authority, and any other national body which is not a state administration body.
 
Which bodies compose the public sector?
 
Under the Salary System in the Public Sector Act, the public sector is composed as follows:
 
• national bodies and self-governing local communities,
• public agencies, public trust funds, public institutions and public commercial institutions, and
• other entities governed by public law being indirect users of the state budget or the local community budget .
 
Public utilities and commercial companies with the State majority holding, or companies controlled by the State or a local community are not part of the public sector under this Act.
 
What is the Council of Officials?
 
The Council of Officials was established under the Civil Servants Act, which also regulated tasks, composition, appointment, and the method of work. The Council of Officials provides for the selection of senior officials (Directors General, Secretaries General, Heads of bodies within the relevant ministries and government departments, and Heads of administrative units), whereby in each individual case the Council appoints a tendering commission