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Cabinet approves rules on streamlining government

The Cabinet yesterday approved a draft statute on streamlining the Cabinet, cutting the number of agencies under it from 36 to 26.

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said the Executive Yuan Organizational Statute (行政院組織法), which proposes establishing 14 ministries, seven commissions and five independent institutions, will come into effect on Jan. 1, 2010.

Although a number of Cabinet members had questioned the need for instituting a ministry to deal with veterans' affairs, Cabinet spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) told a news conference after the meeting that Taiwan's move toward a volunteer military service would still necessitate the creation of a ministry to care for veterans.

Chang said that the draft bill, along with amendments to the Organic Standard Law of Central Government Agencies (中央行政機關組織基準法) and the Draft Provisional Statute on the Adjustment of the Functions, Businesses and Organization of the Executive Yuan (行政院功能業務與組織調整暫行條例草案), will be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review.

With the new legislative session scheduled to start on Friday, the Cabinet will seek to actively cooperate with the legislature to speed up the restructuring of the executive branch of the government, the premier said.

Under the draft bill, six new ministries would be established under the Executive Yuan to add to the eight ministries mandated by the Organic Law of the Executive Yuan.

The 14 ministries would cover interior and homeland security, foreign and overseas affairs, defense, finance, education and sports, justice, economic affairs, transportation and construction, labor and human resources, agriculture, public health and social welfare, environmental resources, tourism and culture, and veterans' affairs.

The seven commissions would cover a new technology commission, a new maritime council, a new commission on gender equality, a new national development commission, the Hakka Council, the Council of Indigenous Peoples and the Mainland Affairs Council.

The five independent institutions are the Central Bank of China, the Central Election Commission, the Fair Trade Commission, the Financial Supervisory Commission and the National Communication Commission.

The restructured Executive Yuan will also add two deputy secretary generals, one of which will help the secretary general with administrative affairs and the other to act as the body's spokesman.
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