Records of the Department of Forestry

Division within F

Public Record(s)

English

Records not yet transferred

Topics

Forestry

The Department of Forestry was established in 1992 and consisted of a Policy and Resources Group and the Forestry Authority.

The head of the Policy and Resources Group was a commissioner, reporting directly to the director general and deputy chairman of the commission. The group was split into eight divisions providing the following services. The Personnel Division provided staff inspection and market testing, superannuation, welfare and office services, including records management. A Policy Studies Division provided economic planning and statistics, and conducted forest surveys. A Parliamentary Accounting Division managed the commission's public expenditure survey, parliamentary and appropriation accounts. An Internal Audit Division provided systems and compliance audits for the whole of the commission.

The Public Information Division handled press, publicity and corporate design. A Business Systems Division provided information technology support, design and development, telecommunications management and business analysis. An International Relations Division dealt with liaison with forest authorities overseas and the European Union, and with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Parliamentary and Policy Division provided broad policy formulation and dealt with parliamentary business, including answering parliamentary questions. There was also a central secretariat to the Commissioners.

Following the reorganisation of 1992, a review was carried out of the structure of the Department of Forestry, resulting in further structural changes in June and October 1995. In June the common services of the Policy and Resources Group were re-organised as an Administration and Finance Group. The October changes separated these functions entirely from the policy units.

A new Forestry Policy Directorate was formed, reporting directly to the Director General, consisting of a small group of economists, statisticians and foresters, with responsibility for advising ministers and the Commissioners on policy options and the impact of policy decisions, and incorporating the Overseas Consultancy Service (formerly part of the Policy Studies Division).

The Secretary to the Commissioners, who had previously reported to the Commissioner for Policy and Resources, was also made directly responsible to the Director General, leading a group consisting of the Parliamentary and Policy Division, the International Relations Division (now known as the International Policy Division) and the Public Information Division, all of which were removed from the former Policy and Resources Group. The Secretary's key role is to ensure that communications between ministers, Commissioners, other government departments and all parts of the commission are effective.

New responsibilities were added to the Director General's portfolio in October 1995, with a Research, Development and Surveys Group being added to his responsibilities (consisting of former Forestry Authority Research Division, Technical Development Branch and a new Surveys Branch).