Ministry to assess performance of panels processing investment-related paperwork

AMMAN — The Public Sector Development Ministry is planning to evaluate the performance of committees and councils that process investment-related paperwork at public agencies, Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh said Monday.

In a step to resolve “bureaucratic obstacles” facing investors, the ministry will review the structure of the committees as well as their tasks and work mechanisms. It will also follow up on the results of their meetings in order to monitor productivity levels.

The minister explained that investors’ applications for official permits and services at a number of public entities are processed through committees, not individual employees, a matter that sometimes results in delays.

In a phone interview with The Jordan Times, Khawaldeh cited public institutions with as many as 18 committees responsible for making decisions concerning some 30 different services, with the overall number of committees exceeding 70.

He added that some committees are over-staffed, while others are understaffed or in need of specialised members, an issue that the initiative will address, in addition to the absence of preset time frames.

The administrative overhaul of public committees aims to study the need for these panels and eliminate unnecessary tasks, Khawaldeh said, noting that it will look into amending laws or by-laws under which they were created.

To save investors time, the ministry will also examine the possibility of parallel-processing of documents at several committees, unless if one approval is a prerequisite for another.

“The conclusions reached at the end of the evaluation will be transformed into decisions and on-the-ground procedures, and not remain as recommendations,” Khawaldeh said, expecting the move to have a positive impact on eliminating red tape.

The ministry will also carry on with its unannounced field visits to public agencies concerned with investments, added.