The Department of Information yesterday issued the reply below in reaction to the editorial published in Monday’s newspaper.

“With reference to the editorial published in The Malta Independent on Monday 2nd October 2017, entitled “A one-case test of our efficiency”, it should be clarified that the “something called KPI” referred to in the editorial is the way forward for the Public Service. The acronym stands for Key Performance Indicators, which have been introduced in the Public Service precisely to rectify any shortcomings and continously improve the service delivered.

As the editor may recall – although The Malta Independent rarely bothers to turn up at our events – a year ago the Principal Permanent Secretary had stated that following the efforts to improve e-government’s efficiency, even if Malta tops the European list in this regard, the next step would be the application of the principle whereby citizens only need to submit the relevant Information once. This submitted Information, in turn, is then disseminated among all Government departments.

In order to achieve this, Government databases need to be integrated, as unfortunately, the investment made in electronic information throughout the years created too many stand-alones.

While acknowledging that there are still gaps and shortcomings, the Public Service goes far beyond the case of the three addresses mentioned in your editorial. Although having its due relevance the case cannot erase the great leaps forward that the Public Service has achieved in the past four years: strengthening valid work and implementing changes where needed, in order to deliver the best service possible. As the proverb goes, one swallow does not a summer make.”

Editor’s note: This newsroom refutes the comment that we “rarely bothers to turn up at our events.” Despite our limited resources this newsroom has attended the majority of press events held by the head of the civil service.