The Central Agencies Committee (CAC) made up of the Office of the Public Service Commission, the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the Ministry of Finance, are in the process of reviewing its Terms of Reference.  The Cabinet Handbook notes that these agencies are referred to as central due   to   the   nature   of   their   overarching responsibilities and coordination roles across the entire Public Service and the public sector as a whole.

The review is part of Government efforts to strengthen the quality of policy advice and whole of government coordination to improve the way it responds to the needs of its people. The terms of reference    being    reviewed    points    to    the Committee’s vision of improving the quality of Cabinet submissions on policy issues ensuring that decisions of national, strategic importance are well informed. The CAC is one of two planned formal mechanisms to facilitate a more proactive approach to policy coordination.

A draft term of reference has been tabled and will be discussed in due course, and the review should be finalized before the end of this financial year.