Mercelina Secures additional capacity for Legal Affairs and Personnel Department

GREAT BAY--Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina has announced additional professional capacity for the government's Legal Affairs and Personnel and Organization (P&O) departments, including the engagement of legislative lawyers, the establishment of an external legal support pool and expanded recruitment support to address longstanding staffing shortages and administrative delays.

The developments were outlined during Tuesday's presentation of the Ministry of General Affairs' draft 2027 National Budget to Parliament, where the Prime Minister reported on progress following targeted investments approved in 2026 to strengthen critical government departments.

Mercelina explained that both Legal Affairs and P&O have operated for years with insufficient personnel and specialized expertise, contributing to delays in the preparation of legislation, recruitment procedures and the processing of administrative matters.

The capacity improvements are intended to strengthen the departments' ability to carry out their responsibilities and provide more consistent support to government ministries.

Three Legislative Lawyers Engaged

One of the major developments concerns the strengthening of Legal Affairs, where three external legislative lawyers have been engaged to provide part-time support for legislative drafting and review.

The additional expertise was made possible through a budget amendment approved during the 2026 parliamentary budget deliberations.

The Prime Minister indicated that limited legal capacity has created vulnerabilities for government, particularly in the timely preparation and review of legislation and other legal matters requiring specialized expertise.

The additional lawyers are expected to help address these bottlenecks and improve the department's ability to manage its legislative workload.

Government has also secured a formal plan of approach with the Temporary Work Organization (TWO) for the establishment of an external legal support pool.

The arrangement will provide Legal Affairs with access to additional professional legal expertise as required, offering greater flexibility to respond to the department's workload and specialized legal needs.

Recruitment for the external support pool commenced last week, marking another step toward expanding the legal capacity available to government.

The Prime Minister described the combined measures as one of the most significant efforts to strengthen legislative capacity within government in the past decade.

Beyond the immediate additional support, work is also underway to improve and standardize legislative drafting procedures and legal advisory processes across government.

This includes the preparation of a legislative calendar to provide greater clarity regarding the planning and processing of proposed legislation.

The objective is to reduce administrative delays, improve coordination and strengthen the quality and timeliness of legal support provided to government ministries.

Personnel Department Receives Recruitment Support

The Department of Personnel and Organization is also receiving additional professional capacity to address recruitment delays, staffing shortages and outstanding administrative obligations to government employees.

Mercelina confirmed that a recruitment specialist is being engaged with support from a budget amendment approved during the 2026 Parliamentary deliberations.

A new local section head for P&O has also been recruited and is expected to take up the position later in November.

In addition, preparations are underway to engage an external recruitment agency to support government-wide recruitment efforts and assist in attracting qualified professionals to vacant positions.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the public sector continues to experience difficulties attracting and retaining qualified personnel in a competitive labor market.

According to the presentation, existing recruitment procedures can leave applicants waiting several months, and in some cases more than a year, before receiving a response.

The additional recruitment capacity is intended to reduce these delays and improve government's ability to fill critical vacancies within a more reasonable period.

Mercelina emphasized that allocating money for vacant positions is not sufficient if government lacks the administrative capacity to recruit the personnel needed to carry out its responsibilities.

The planned support is therefore aimed at improving the recruitment process itself, including the speed and effectiveness with which departments can identify and appoint qualified candidates.

Jubilee Payment Backlog Reduced

The Prime Minister also reported progress in addressing outstanding jubilee payments owed to public servants.

The backlog has been reduced to 44 outstanding cases government-wide, reflecting efforts by P&O to resolve longstanding administrative obligations to employees who have completed qualifying years of public service.

Mercelina identified the reduction as an important development in improving government's ability to meet its obligations to its personnel.

The department will continue working to resolve outstanding cases while strengthening its internal capacity and procedures.

Modernization of Government Support Services

The additional personnel and legal expertise forms part of the Ministry of General Affairs' broader strategy to strengthen government's institutional capacity in 2027.

Alongside recruitment improvements and expanded legal support, the Ministry intends to pursue the implementation of a digital human resource management system and further modernization of government administrative processes.

These improvements are expected to support better personnel management, more reliable administrative information and greater efficiency in government operations.

The Ministry will also continue strengthening Facility Affairs and ICT, recognizing that effective government administration depends on adequate personnel, functioning systems and reliable professional support.

Mercelina indicated that the results of investments made during 2026 demonstrate the importance of addressing underlying institutional weaknesses rather than allowing backlogs and capacity shortages to continue accumulating.

While acknowledging that the reforms remain ongoing, he maintained that the additional support secured for P&O and Legal Affairs represents progress toward a more effective government administration.

The Ministry's focus for 2027 will be on ensuring that the newly acquired expertise translates into faster recruitment, improved legislative processing, reduced administrative backlogs and stronger support for government departments.

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