Verité Research says 15 Ministries can be optimal as opposed RW’s 30

The Verité Research yesterday said 15 Ministries can be optimal as opposed to President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s preference to have 30.

On 17 May, the President said: “At present, we have around 30 ministries. Let us maintain this number and avoid further expansion.”

Verite said this affirms the current constitutional limit on the size of the Cabinet of Ministers, which is 30. This is double the number of 15 ministries recommended by Verité Research in a white paper setting out the design of a rational structure of Government.

In a white paper titled “A Rational Method for Cabinet Formation in Sri Lanka’, issued in 2020, Verite listed 15 ministries (See graphic) as providing an optimal rational structure for Government. 

Verité Research arrived at the total of 15 ministries by applying the best principles of designing an efficient and effective structure of Government.

The analysis by Verité Research found that the present approach to setting up cabinet portfolios impedes the ability of the Government to be efficient and effective. The irrationality in the construction of government arises from two critical problems: (1) fragmentation – where related subjects are split across different ministries and (2) misalignment – where unrelated subjects are grouped together under a single ministry. 

Verite opined in the past, these two problems created delays in decision-making and implementation, reduced Government accountability and ability to function, and increased costs. Therefore, the White Paper notes that fixing these problems with not only an optimally designed number of ministries, but also with the proper assignment of subjects, functions, and institutions to each of the ministries is the key to having a Government that functions effectively and efficiently.

To solve this problem, Verité Research has developed a complete mapping of all the Sri Lankan Government functions, laws, and institutions that are required to be in a gazette forming a new cabinet, to fit within the optimally designed structure of the recommended 15 ministries.