It has been a feature of this government to bring about reforms that lead to a better quality of life and, from day one, I have been committed to bring about practical changes in the Government Property Department (GPD), with the aim of generating improved government revenue whilst providing better customer service.

We are already seeing considerable improvements but we know that we are in the process of improving the overall services that are being provided today. We are excited with these developments, as in the near future – with the ambitious Land & Estate Management Information System (LEMIS) computer project – we will be in a position to achieve general progress through management and operational efficiencies.

The GPD is the custodian of government property. It generates non-tax revenue for the government, operates in the active Maltese property market and works in conjunction with other government property administrators such as the Housing Authority, Malta Enterprise and the recently founded company Malita. In 2010, the LEMIS project was introduced with the intention of integrating electronic property and accounting records, display maps and drawings and presenting images of agreements and pictures of land agreements while displaying available property to the public. LEMIS is a project intended to enhance the GPD’s effectiveness in public service delivery by providing it with modern property management tools such as Geographic Information Systems, Electronic Document Management, Revenue Management and Land Acquisition Management. In addition, the project also includes reorganisation and staff development to enable the best use of the new systems.

There have been a number of achievements since the introduction of LEMIS. A detailed study of the GPD’s organisation and business processes has taken place. There has been the acquisition and commissioning of new hardware configuration and a web-based software system framework. A thorough exercise has involved the replacement of out-dated data processing systems to support tenant accounting and rent collection by local councils. This achievement has enabled people to make payments at their local council offices, thus eliminating the inconvenience of having to go to the department’s premises in Valletta to affect payments. Another project has been the integration of out-dated GPD and Joint Office databases and historic electronic records.

LEMIS has also facilitated the presentation of an innovative GPD website and on-line rent payment system by which rent payments can be made from the home, when the official invoice has been received from the GPD. Through LEMIS, we have converted the Geographical Integrated System data to modern standards and started scanning documents to populate the Data Management System database. There are an estimated 24 million documents to be examined and processed, which is no mean feat. Through LEMIS, we have also witnessed the commencement of an electronic property record cleansing and updating process, involving the incorporation of no fewer than 60,000 property records.

We have embarked on this ambitious LEMIS project in order to develop more computer required workflows that are required to support over 100 business processes. These are expected to be implemented in the coming months. This exercise will assist the department to process, recognise and update inheritance records more efficiently. Following each business process, the GPD will become more efficient and effective and will continue to provide a better service, while generating improved revenue through government property. By presenting to the public an improved, quality service to the general public, the GPD will continue to offer improved overhaul assistance to the benefit of all. This is a government that cares and wants to deliver the best service to the citizens.