The current policy environment in the office includes three central policy planning bodies (the National Economic Council on economic affairs, the National Security Council on security matters and the Policy Planning Department for societal and governmental affairs).  There are two departments specializing in staff work (the Economic Department and the Legal Department) and a number of advisers in various fields.  While government ministries, local authorities, governmental corporations and extra-governmental bodies constitute the operational agents of policy, the Department for Coordination, Follow-Up and Oversight acts under the direction of the Director General to complete the follow-up and control process of the implementation of government resolutions, both quantitatively and qualitatively.



* The Deputy Director General is also responsible for the various division authorities.
** The National Security Council is integrated in planning security matters that touch on civilian areas, such as the preparedness of the home front for emergencies.

Note: the diagram is not intended to depict an organizational hierarchy, but rather the work environment of the Prime Minister’s Office in various public policy fields.

A. Targets set by the Prime Minister’s Office in the policy arena
B. Central bodies in the field of socio-economic policy operating in the Prime Minister’s Office
C. Additional areas of responsibility

A.Targets set by the Prime Minister’s Office in the policy arena

The Prime Minister’s Office, as the leading central body for the socio-economic field, consolidates policy planning and staff work at a national level, leads necessary reforms in the Civil Service and advances projects with national significance for defined periods of time.  The office acts to strengthen the quality of its human resources in general, and in the fields of planning, budgeting and control specifically, and will serve as a model of quality and excellence in the Civil Service in Israel.

The Prime Minister’s Office operates in the fields of policy, security, society and the economy.  The information regarding the Director General’s bureau, including the defined targets specified above, focuses on selected areas of public administration and in the fields of society and the economy.

B. Central bodies in the field of socio-economic policy operating in the Prime Minister’s Office

 The National Economic Council, headed by Prof. Eugene Kendal: the Council serves as an advisory body to the Government on socio-economic matters, an oversight body for the Government and the Knesset in socio-economic matters and a body for directing staff work between the various ministries and other bodies dealing with these matters.

Goal:  To lead planning and decision-making processes in economic matters, based on professional analyses of existing trends, current data and methodical, long-term thinking.

Duties include: recognizing trends and formulating initiatives for policy moves, assisting in decision-making processes, integrating knowledge and latitudinal dialogue in order to create integrative policies, providing opinions to the Government regarding proposed resolutions and socio-economic discussions, formulating opinions regarding the proposed State Budget submitted by the Ministry of Finance, including budgetary targets, budgetary frameworks, the manner in which the Government’s priorities are given expression, tax policies, etc.

* The National Economic Council has a website at: www.pmo.gov.il/pmo/nec

 The Department for Policy Planning, headed by Mr. Ehud Praver:  The Department for Policy Planning is a headquarters for planning in the fields of society and welfare.  It works to strengthen Israel’s social robustness and remove obstacles to dealing with strategic matters in Israel, such as dealing with illegal Palestinian trespassers in Jerusalem.

Goal:  To lead planning and decision-making processes in the fields of society and welfare, based on professional analyses of existing trends, current data and methodical, long-term thinking.

Duties include:  Consolidating a picture of the situation related to processes and trends in all sectors of Israeli society, locating weak points in Israel’s social robustness and building relevant policy plans, leading inter-office staff work and dealing with special projects such as the implementation of the Schmidt Report and leading the planning for the national program for children and teens at risk.

 The Department for Coordination, Follow-Up and Control, headed by Ms. Michal Frank:
The Department follows-up on the implementation of policy plans and approved Government Resolutions, while locating and dealing with obstacles and duplications; it creates tools for qualitative and quantitative follow-up on the implementation.

In the field of coordination, duties include:  Creating an infrastructure that ensures that government offices work in harmony, leading efforts for inter-ministerial coordination in implementing Resolutions and advancing the implementation of national inter-ministerial and other projects.

In the field of follow-up and control, duties include:  Managing qualitative and quantitative follow-up and control of the implementation of approved Resolutions and policy plans and systemic Government Resolutions, ministerial committees, issuing warnings about non-implementation, removing obstacles and delays, preparing internal reviews on the scope of implementation, providing targeted solutions to plans and projects that need special control and taking action to remove obstacles if needed.
 
 The Economic Department, headed by Mr. Amir Barkan:
The Department serves as the central professional authority with regard to budgetary and economic aspects involved in various planning activities, and as such, stands at the center of the connection between the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance.  The Department plays an active role in policy planning processes that have economic repercussions, parallel to the other activities it is responsible for on a day-to-day basis.

Goal:  To provide authorized and professional counsel, solutions and economic support during the stages of policy planning, while providing ongoing assistance through the decision-making phase and implementation.

Duties include*:  Coordinating the implementation of budgetary aspects of Resolutions vis-à-vis the ministries, coordinating and consolidating the relations between the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance and between the office and extra-governmental economic parties, providing assistance for the socio-economic agenda and controlling the administrations of budgets in ministries, including detecting duplications and locating targets for cooperation and inefficient allocation and usage of funds.

*The definition of the goal and the list of duties were made in a policy planning context, and do not necessarily include duties that exist in other contexts.

 The Legal Department, headed by Attorney Shlomit Barnea-Farrago:
The Legal Department serves as the central professional authority with regard to legal and legislative aspects involved in planning activities, and supports the processes of the various departments as needed.  In addition, the Department guides processes involved in changing legislations and regulations that result from policy plans that have been completed and approved.

Goal:  To provide authorized and professional legal counsel, answers and support with regard to all legal and legislative aspects in the field of policy, while introducing any necessary changes.

Duties include*:  Providing legal counsel and support to the Prime Minister and Director General when needed, preparing opinions and reviews on various matters on the agenda, providing counsel to the various departments, guiding the implementation of legislative aspects of plans and providing legal defense as necessary.

*The definition of the goal and the list of duties were made in a policy planning context, and do not necessarily include duties that exist in other contexts.

C. Additional areas of responsibility

In addition to the aforementioned, the Deputy Director General is responsible, on behalf of the Director General and the Prime Minister, for the activities of the Central Bureau of Statistics, the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women, the State Archives, the Government Names Committee (naming new towns/villages), the Authority for the War Against Drugs, the Government Publications Bureau, the Government Press Office and other bodies.