1. Quality Service Charters in Malta: An Overview
Presentation to the Innovative Public Services Group
Charles Polidano Director, Strategy and Planning
Office of the Prime Minister, Malta
25 April 2006

2. Three interlinked initiatives
Quality Service Charters proper (1999 to date)
Customer Care System (electronic portal for queries and complaints – 2001 to date)
Common Service Standards (2006)

3. 1. Quality Service Charters
Launched 1999 to:
set and publicise service standards in the delivery of public services
deliver tangible results after years of Public Service reform
Identification of charter sites at first centrally, later on the initiative of line departments
Charters launched covering individual services or offices

4. Launching charters
Charter development preceded by consultation of staff, external clients (workshops, questionnaires)
Extensive changes (renovation of premises, revision of procedures) often took place as a result
Charter represented both the dept’s commitment and an award by the centre

5. Results
64 charters launched to date (as compared to roughly the same number of ministries and departments)
Genuine improvements made in the quality of service delivery

6. Difficulties encountered
Staff turnover in chartered offices
Limited central capacity to audit and enforce charter standards
Insufficiently direct link between performance and rewards
Charters varied in significance
Scheme currently being rethought

7. 2. Customer Care System
Electronic transmission mechanism for public queries, requests, complaints covering central and local government
Seamless system – government-wide one-stop shop
Two avenues of contact:
local council offices (every town and village)
Internet portal –
Launched 2001

8. How it works Queries received by:
Local council staff
Central clearing house
Automatically redirected to appropriate body depending on subject categorisation
System backed by 160-strong network of operators

9. Results and issues 2005: nearly 52,000 queries of which:
40% concern central government
60% concern local councils
Over 90% of all queries received through local councils
Around 60% of requests answered within 10-day target limit
Problem of staff turnover (being addressed through on-the-spot training of replacements)

10. 3. Common service standards
Newly launched government-wide service standards covering:
Response times for correspondence by post and
Handling of phone calls
Waiting times
To be brought into effect by September 2006

11. Issues Common standards will supersede some charters
Departments face different challenges in meeting the standards
Efforts to develop an effective link between adherence to standards and performance assessment