The Integrity Chamber has conducted an Integrity Quick Scan, of the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication (TEATT). The Quick Scan is conducted with the purpose of determining the most significant bottlenecks, challenges, and areas for improvement within the Ministry of TEATT. The findings of the study are used to provide recommendations to strengthen the integrity infrastructure of the Ministry. The integrity infrastructure consists of all integrity-related laws, policies and procedures, including norms and values.
The Quick Scan revealed that there are a number of processes within the Ministry that have not been documented; informal checks-and-balances within the departments are then utilised to lessen possible occurrences of integrity-related misconducts. A lack of documented procedures increases the susceptibility of employees to integrity risks, due to a lack of knowledge of expected behaviours.
Additionally, the Quick Scan revealed that the employees are, in some cases, not sufficiently trained for their function and are lacking training opportunities to increase and maintain their knowledge and skills. The lack of training can lead to increased human errors.
The Integrity Chamber Quick Scan provides brief recommendations to curb the most pressing integrity risks occurring within the Ministry of TEATT. Recommendations include, evaluating and documenting informal/unwritten procedures which are utilised in the various departments, providing sufficient trainings and refresher courses for employees based on the needs of the executing agency, and developing policies and procedures to manage the identified integrity risks within the Ministry.
The Ministry of TEATT is the second administrative body within which the Integrity Quick Scan was carried out; the first Quick Scan was conducted within the Ministry of Justice. The remaining ministries, as well as other administrative bodies will also be reviewed. The complete report can be found on the website of the Integrity Chamber at www.integritychamber.sx/publications.