To understand the Office of the Public Solicitor (OPS) better, the new Permanent Secretary (PS) for Justice and Legal Affairs, Mr. George Hoa’au was briefed during his briefing tour of all the five justice agencies including the High Court.
Mr. Hoa’au during his introduction remarks, convey that, “The OPS’s staff are highly trained officers on the application of law for legal aid, advice and assistance to those in need; and as such, if headquarter is to serve you better, we must not allow institutional ego to stand in the way of HQ leadership listening to you. To listen listeningly to understand your office responsibilities and challenges.”
The Public Solicitor, Mr. George Grey, in response outlined the responsibilities of the OPS; and his observation after the briefing was that, “it was wonderful interacting with you in a more casual manner and exchanging ideas and views as well as sharing issues and challenges facing my agency. That is greatly appreciated. The discussions impress on me that more can be achieved through mutual collaborations and partnerships especially with the support of the Ministry.”
The Public Solicitor, further mentioned that “some of my pressing issues and challenges for the OPS are “legislative Reform of the Public Solicitor’s Act, Infrastructures for PSO Offices in Lata and Auki, Twining programs with other regional countries, One-Room Office for People with Disabilities and manpower shortages.”
The Public Solicitor, Mr. Grey and PS Hoa’au agrees to continue dialogues, which encourage the exchanging ideas throughout this year.
-ENDS///