While the outgoing cabinet on Sunday 21 Iyar voted unanimously to back Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s call to increase the number of ministers and deputy ministers, a senior Finance Ministry official is opposed to the move.

Mr. Amir Levy, the treasury official responsible for the state budget on Sunday sent a letter to Cabinet Secretary Avichai Mandelblit stating “Our position is that in order to optimize government activity, the number of government agencies must be reduced”. Levy did not detail an expressed position regarding the number of cabinet ministers, but stated that if there is a change in that number and type of ministers exceeding the current law, the cost will be 2.8 to 3.9 million NIS annually per additional minister, translating to 11.2 to 15.6 million NIS per minister for the four-year term in office. The cost of each deputy minister is 1.5 million annually, or 6 million per deputy minister per four-year term.

The ministry budget director added, the work of the Prime Minister’s Office staff along with Finance Ministry officials indicates that more significant than an increase in the number of ministers is the increase in the number of existing government ministries.

At present the number of ministries in Israel is 27, as opposed to 14 in countries with optimal government operation. Levy adds that in line with OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) explains one reason that having too many ministries is counterproductive in the public sector is that in a typical office, 35-40% if the manpower of that ministry serves the ministry as opposed to increasing the volume of services provided to citizens.

The OECD adds that too many government agencies resulted in an increase in regulatory activity and thus, in some cases, damage to the economy.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)