17. To enforce this process the Cabinet Secretary is authorised to reject submissions or memorandums where the relevant secretary or agency head has not confirmed that the submission contains all the information that the Cabinet will require to assess the implementation challenges of a proposal.
18. The Cabinet is responsible not only for making decisions but as a collective forum for reviewing the Government's strategic priorities and ensuring the delivery of key initiatives.
19. At a minimum, all submissions should:
- include rigorous analysis that justifies the proposed measures (including, as appropriate, business cases, feasibility studies and cost‐benefit analyses)
- identify how, when and by whom the recommendations of a submission will be implemented
- identify key risks and mitigation strategies
- identify tangible outcomes and benefits tied to the objectives of the policy – and metrics and milestones to measure progress against these outcomes – to ensure timely and accurate implementation reporting
- invite specific and focused comment on proposed approaches to implementation through the exposure draft and draft for co‐ordination comment processes.
20. To ensure this occurs, the Cabinet has requested that the authoring department's secretary or agency head confirms, for each submission that their minister sponsors, that:
- the submission contains all the key information that the Cabinet will require to assess the implementation challenges of the proposal
- their department (or agency) has, or will, put in place the necessary capabilities to effectively manage implementation.
21. Where appropriate, submissions must detail how the recommendations they make can be implemented, if they are agreed by the Cabinet.
22. As the level of risk of a proposal increases, so too does the level of implementation planning required by ministers and central agencies. To establish what additional planning is required, departments or agencies must complete a formal risk assessment during the policy development process in consultation with central agencies. All submissions bringing forward proposals which have 'significant implementation risks or challenges' are required to submit robust implementation plans as an attachment to the submission.
Submission/memorandum format
23. Cabinet submissions are made up of the following elements:
- cover sheet providing summary of key points or 'executive summary' and financial implications
- recommendations (or conclusions for memorandums)
- supporting analysis
- coordination comments
- titles of any attachments.
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