Financial Management Directorate

The Financial Management Directorate

The Financial Management Directorate is responsible for the administration, Human Resources, Finances and General Support function of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Human Resources Section manages the Human Resources function of the Ministry.  This section caters for the issuance of appointment letters, takes care of the Performance Management Programme of officers, and keeps appropriate record of employees.  The officers in this section are regularly sent on courses to update themselves on the latest development in the field. 

The Finance Section is divided into two units.  There is the accounts section for Head Office which manages the budget for Head Office, the Central Visa Unit and the Citizenship and expatriates Unit.  This section pays all outstanding bills which are incurred locally.  These amount to thousands per year.

The Mission Accounts section is responsible for the auditing of the accounts of Embassies.  Every month, our Embassies abroad, send in their monthly accounts which are then checked by the staff of the Missions Accounts.  Every officer is allocated a number of missions to deal with and should there be any discrepancies noted, the mission accounts officer clears them up with the Embassy.  Sometimes these accounts are voluminous, like the Brussels accounts since they reflect the amount of personnel and activities of the Embassy.

The Registry Section is the guardian of the Ministry’s files.  It is also divided into two – the Confidential Registry and the Open Registry.  The Confidential Registry manages files which are not for general circulation.  These include secret files.  This registry also keeps all agreements and treaties signed by Malta over the years.  The officers working in this Registry also manage correspondence at a security level from the European Union and NATO.  The Open Registry deals with general files which can be circulated to all officers of the Ministry.  It is housed in two places, at Palazzo Parisio and at the Directorate Corporate Services.  The Registry at Palazzo Parisio is further subdivided into sections which cater for Protocol files, Bilateral Relations files and Multilateral Relations files.

The Stores section keeps supplies needed for the daily running of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  This section also manages the Ministry’s cars fuel by issuing vouchers for fuel, coordinating maintenance and repairs of vehicles.  The Stores Section also keeps a stock of flags of all nations.  These are mainly used in conferences, displayed in places around Malta when a Foreign dignitary (e.g. President or Prime Minister) is visiting Malta.  Flags can also be hired out to individuals or organisations for a nominal fee. 

The Directorate, Corporate Services keeps control over the Ministry’s spending, gives needed support to all directorates of the Ministry.  One important function is the drafting of the Annual Budget. 

Messengers form part of the Directorate Corporate Services.  They are the people who deliver correspondence internally in the Ministry and outside to other destinations.  They men the reception desk and the telephone desk where all calls are answered and directed to the appropriate officers. 

It is important that the offices and premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are kept clean due to frequent visits by Foreign dignitaries.  For this purpose a number of cleaners are in employment.  Their work is reflected in the cleanliness of the Ministry.