II. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
[ II-A | II-B | II-C
| II-D | II-E | II-F
| II-G | II-H ]
B. Coordinating, administrative and policy-making organizations
[ B-1 | B-2 | B-3
| B-4 | B-5 | B-6
]
5. Public Service Commission
PSC is responsible for carrying out an overview of the decision-making machinery of the government, including the creation of new (or the abolition of existing) ministries or departments within ministries. It is also in charge of coordinating the activities of ministries and departments. It acts as the central personnel authority for the Public Service. The director of PSC sits on ACC and BCC, where the staffing and budgetary implications of all new capital projects are evaluated.
The PSC function is to allocate the necessary human resources to enable the government to undertake its different functions. Thus PSC has a significant impact on the environmental management capability of the government. The quantity and quality of human resources allocated to the protection of the environment is another tangible indication of government commitment to this area of national development. Currently, the number of established positions in the Department of the Environment is far below the minimum required. It was recently estimated that a departmental strength of about 25 permanent staff would be sufficient. The present strength of the Department of the Environment is less than half that figure, even when volunteers, project officers and other temporary staff are included. With its current strength the Department of the Environment will be unable to carry out its duties as specified in the Sustainable Development Bill.
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