1 State - People - Authorities - 15 Authorities - 152 Council of State and Cantonal Administration - Section 1: General Provisions (OR-GJS)

The Department of Health, Youth and Sports (DHYS; hereinafter: the department) assumes the tasks assigned to the State in the fields of public health, adult and youth protection, buildings, housing, sports, statistics, as well as in terms of regional organization and development.

[3] 1. The department has a general secretariat.

2. It includes the following services

e) the statistics service.

3. It is responsible for relations with the following entities

d) AROSS – Network Reception Social Health Orientation.

1. The Head of the Department regularly meets with the Heads of Services and other entities, either in a general or individual meeting format.

2. The Secretary General participates in these meetings and ensures liaison between the Head of the Department and the services.

3. The secretariat for these meetings is managed by the General Secretariat.

1 The responsibilities of the services are established by the present regulation.

2. The assignment of special tasks or mandates is reserved.

1. The General Secretariat is responsible for coordination, planning, advisory, and information tasks.

2. Its specific missions include

a) advising and assisting the head of the department;

b) managing and administering the secretariat of the head of the department;

c) coordinating internal departmental activities;

d) interdepartmental coordination;

e) planning, directing, and coordinating financial management in accordance with the Law on State and Municipal Finances (LFinEC), dated June 24, 2014 [4];

f) tasks related to human resources within the department;

g) internal and external communication and information in collaboration with the State Chancellery.

3. The organization office is administratively attached to it.

1. The organization office works in close collaboration with the State Council, the departments, and the services of the cantonal administration.

2. It supports the State Council and the Grand Council in the governance of the State as a center of expertise in the fields of organization and project management.

3. It assists administrative units in improving their efficiency and effectiveness.

4. It acts as an innovation unit and is tasked with developing, testing, and implementing solutions in the areas of service management, organization, administration operation, and e-government.

1. The public health service is the executive body of the department in matters of public health. It ensures the maintenance of public health and hygiene as well as equitable access to healthcare.

2. In this context, it carries out the tasks assigned to it by federal and cantonal public health legislation.

3. The support and prevention center for professionals in educational institutions is administratively attached to it.

1 The Cantonal Physician and the Cantonal Pharmacist are responsible for carrying out the tasks assigned to them by federal and cantonal legislation in the field of public health.

2. The Cantonal Physician is specifically responsible for all medical issues concerning public health.

3. The Cantonal Pharmacist is specifically responsible for the field of therapeutic products for human use.

4. They are administratively attached to the public health service.

1. The Adult and Youth Protection Service ensures the prevention, promotion, and protection of youth and takes charge of adults in social difficulty.

2. It manages and finances the outpatient care system for children and the extrafamilial care system for children, as well as specialized educational institutions.

3. It serves as a liaison body with other cantons and the Confederation for the institutions mentioned in paragraph 2, as well as for the specialized schools under the department.

4. Its responsibilities and organization are governed by regulations.

1. The Buildings Department is responsible for the overall management of the State's real estate assets, the execution of new constructions, the remediation, renovation, maintenance, and operation of existing buildings. Additionally, it proposes and implements the cantonal housing policy.

2. The Buildings Department is specifically tasked with ensuring

a) the need for built spaces for the administration by advising and supporting the concerned users;

b) the planning and execution of buildings necessary for the performance of cantonal tasks, taking into account cultural, economic, and ecological aspects;

c) the regular maintenance of the State's real estate portfolio as well as the management of maintenance contracts and service subscriptions necessary for their operation;

d) the operation of the janitorial service for the buildings occupied by the State;

e) the optimization of the value of the State's movable and immovable assets, as well as ensuring the management of real estate contracts;

f) the implementation of the cantonal housing policy through the granting of housing assistance.

The sports department has the following areas of activity

a) encouragement, promotion, and coordination of sports in all its forms and at all levels of practice, in collaboration with the competent authorities and organizations in the field;

b) oversight of construction projects and development of sports facilities, in collaboration with municipalities, schools, and sports organizations;

c) responsibility and tasks of the canton in relation to the Youth+Sport movement;

d) administration of funds from the Confederation, the canton, or any other source.

[5]

1. The statistics service is responsible for the implementation of legislation concerning statistics.

2. Its scope of activity notably includes

a) the communication of relevant, significant, reliable, and coherent statistical information to the cantonal and municipal authorities, as well as to the community as a whole;

b) the collection, production, processing, analysis, and storage of data for statistical purposes based on scientifically chosen principles with full independence, in compliance with the Swiss public statistics charter;

c) the development of the Swiss statistical information system in collaboration with the Confederation, other cantons, municipalities, and various partners.

**The Department May Establish Specific Provisions Regarding the Tasks and Internal Organization of the Services**

The department may establish specific provisions concerning the tasks and the internal organization of the services.

The Regulation on the Organization of the Department of Health, Regions, and Sports (RO-DSRS) of March 6, 2024 [6], is repealed.

**Effective September 1, 2025, the Municipal Services will become the Office of Municipalities and Fiduciary Management within the Financial Services Department (DFFI). Until that date, the DSJS is responsible for the tasks assigned to the State concerning relations with municipalities.**

1. This regulation shall enter into force immediately.

2. It shall be published in the Official Gazette and inserted into the Collection of Neuchâtel Legislation.