雇用開発機構解体

(Sep. 4, 2008)　 The Yomiuri Shimbun
Wasteful administrative body should be dissolved
雇用開発機構　無駄排除へ組織を解体せよ（9月4日付・読売社説）

Services currently provided by independent administrative agencies that could be provided by private or local entities should not be done by the agencies, and any services that are not in high demand should be abolished.
It is under this principle that drastic reform should be carried out.
民間や地方でできる業務は民間や地方に移し、必要性の高くない業務はやめる――。この原則を徹底し、抜本的な改革を断行すべきだ。

A government panel of experts studying measures to reduce administrative work and improve administrative efficiency has reached broad agreement that the Employment and Human Resources Development Organization of Japan should be dissolved and some of its operations abolished.
政府の行政減量・効率化有識者会議は、独立行政法人「雇用・能力開発機構」を解体、廃止することで大筋一致した。

The independent administrative agency for job support services is a huge organ--3,850 employees and an overall budget of 615.7 billion yen. Most of its operation costs, totaling 82.4 billion yen, is covered by funds from employment insurance premiums.
Wasteful spending must be thoroughly eliminated.
雇用・能力開発機構は、職員３８５０人、総予算６１５７億円という巨大な独法だ。事業費８２４億円の大半は、国民の払う雇用保険料で賄われている。駄を徹底的に省くのは当然だ。

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Operations don't bear fruit

Among the agency' operations, the Vocational Museum in Kyoto Prefecture, which offers schoolchildren chances to learn about and try various types of jobs, has incurred deficits of more than 1 billion yen every year and epitomizes wasteful use of government funds.
毎年１０億円超の赤字を出す職業体験施設「私のしごと館」（京都府）は、国の無駄遣いの象徴的存在である。

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, which oversees the independent administrative agency, argues that the facility should be maintained, since destroying such a magnificent facility would be a great loss. But the public will not accept such an argument.
「立派な施設を壊すのはもったいないので、存続させた方がいい」という厚生労働省側の論理は、国民に通用しない。

Services provided at the facility should first be suspended, and there should be discussions over how to effectively use the property, such as selling or leasing it to the private sector. Ideas from the private sector should be tapped during this part of the process.
施設の業務を中止したうえ、民間の知恵も借りつつ、民間企業への売却・貸与など、他の有効利用策を検討すべきだろう。

The Polytechnic University, at which vocational instructors are trained, likely will be abolished. Only 20 percent of the school's graduates actually become such instructors, with a majority of vocational instructors not being graduates of the school. The importance of the school therefore already is small.
職業訓練指導員を養成する職業能力開発総合大学校は、廃止する方向だ。卒業生の２割しか指導員にならず、指導員の過半数を卒業生以外が占めている。もはや大学校の存在意義は小さい。

Also, the government will consider transferring to prefectural authorities the duties of job training services provided by 61 centers for promoting occupational skills development, which function as employment safety nets.
雇用のセーフティーネット（安全網）の役割を担う６１の職業能力開発促進センターの職業訓練は、都道府県への移管を検討する。

Doing so would likely eliminate redundant job training services that also are provided by prefectural governments, and would promote reform efforts for decentralization.
都道府県独自の職業訓練との「二重行政」を解消することに加え、地方分権改革を後押しする効果が期待される。

But in order to prevent these transfers of services to local governments from becoming mere ceremony, implementation should be made only after the content of services is carefully examined and streamlined. Careful consideration also should be given to the issues of personnel relocations and transfer of revenue resources.
地方移管は、「看板の掛け替え」にならないように、事業内容の吟味とスリム化を前提とすべきだ。職員の配置転換や財源移譲にも目配りが必要となる。

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Keep reform on track

The turning point in reforming the agency came when Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in mid-August told Toshimitsu Motegi, state minister in charge of administrative reform, to make a decision at an early time on the dissolution of the agency.
改革の転機は、福田首相が８月中旬、組織を解体する方向で早期に結論を出すよう茂木行政改革相に指示したことだ。

Fukuda's decision was extremely grave. Rarely had such a top-down approach been taken by Fukuda, who is usually very consensus-oriented, waiting until views are coordinated within the government and ruling parties.
首相の決断は極めて重い。福田首相は従来、政府・与党内の調整を待つコンセンサス重視型で、自らの考えをトップダウンで実行することは少なかった。

Some Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry officials advocate keeping the independent administrative agency. But the government must stick to its commitment to dissolve the agency and let its operations either end, be transferred to local governments or be privatized, even after Fukuda steps down as prime minister.
厚労省には雇用・能力開発機構の存続論もくすぶる。福田首相が退陣しても、機構を解体し、各業務を廃止、地方移管、民営化する方向性を堅持せねばなるまい。

It has not been decided what to do with other independent administrative agencies, including the Japan Housing Finance Agency, which offers long-term low-interest housing loans. Decentralization efforts likely will be one of the major issues a post-Fukuda administration will have to tackle.
独法改革では、住宅金融支援機構などの問題が積み残されている。地方分権改革は、新内閣でも重要課題になろう。

The new prime minister, as well as the new administration's state minister in charge of administrative reform, will need to exercise leadership whenever necessary without relying on bureaucrats. This is the lesson that should be learned from the latest political twist.
次期首相や行革相は、これらの課題を官僚任せにせず、折に触れて自ら指導力を発揮すべきだ。それが今回の教訓である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 4, 2008)
（2008年9月4日01時52分 読売新聞）