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 ( );
Aim: better and smaller government;
‘Smaller’ means: / 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
Staff office DGBK
Cabinet affairs
Other divisions
Employment Public Sector
Innovation- and Informationpolicy

6. Objectives Main objective:
To substantially reduce administrative burdens of 16 types of professionals in the public sector from 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
: quantitative research (time spend en perceived)
Top 5 burdens based on research: cabinet to solve these
Disclosures office
: 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:
Completion: 2011
Other: communication: on-going

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