In response to questions raised by the Ombudsman Commission on the recently established Ministry of Key Constitutional Offices, Prime Minister James Marape has asserted that the ministry, initially introduced during a Cabinet reshuffle last Thursday, will now be officially designated as the Ministry for Administrative Services. This comes after the OC had written a joint letter to the Prime Minister, questioning the legality of the creation of the Ministry. Marape reassured that the Ombudsman Commission's role and responsibilities will not be diluted or compromised, drawing parallels to previous administrative structures. "In the past, ministers have assisted the Prime Minister in similar tasks, such as the administrative services minister under former Prime Minister Paias Wingti.” “The Minister I appointed will in no way usurp the role of the Prime Minister in constitutional offices.” “The government remains committed to transparency, legal adherence, and effective governance in the establishment and functioning of key ministries.” The Prime Minister affirmed that the Government remains committed to upholding the law with regard to Constitutional Offices reporting to the Prime Minister. Following the appointment of Richard Masere as the Minister for Key Constitutional Offices in the reshuffle, he emphasized the government's steadfast commitment to legal compliance, stating that there was no intention, whatsoever, to break the law regarding constitutional offices reporting to the Prime Minister. "That is entrenched in law and will be maintained." He elaborated on the purpose and work of the Ministry for Administrative Services, outlining that it will be specifically established to enable the minister to address key functions that have been outstanding, such as the National Census, progression of the National Identification programme, assisting the Prime Minister in reviewing key constitutional offices, evaluating the electoral process, and other essential tasks. The Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council is actively working on determining an appropriate name for the ministry, likely to be finalized as the Ministry for Administrative Services.