Regulations on the organisation of the Cantonal Administration - Distribution and Supervision

1. The Council of State allocates the departments among its members in accordance with the regulation on powers. This allocation can be changed at any time.

2. It establishes a rational organization of the administration, the organizational chart of which it publishes as an annex to these regulations; if circumstances require, it adjusts the organizational chart.

3. It exercises general supervision and issues the directives arising from its responsibility as the executive authority.

1. Each department is responsible for the distribution of tasks among the organizational units and may make any necessary adjustments at any time.

2. The supervision of the State Council is reserved; it particularly includes the approval of reorganizations that exceed the scope of a single department, change the number of service units, or have financial implications.

1. Each Head of Department has a management team (Department Staff Unit) to support them in the strategic leadership and management of their department.

2. The Department Staff Unit reports directly to the Head of Department and is administratively affiliated with a department service unit. The Head of Department may assign a line function to members of the Department Staff Unit for certain areas in accordance with special provisions issued by them.

3. The Department Staff Unit is specifically responsible for

a) the general secretariat tasks of the department in accordance with Article 3 of the Regulation on Powers, namely administrative management, planning, legal services, legislation, information, coordination, administrative leadership, and department controlling;

b) departmental coordination between the activities of the department's service units and interdepartmental coordination according to Article 5 paragraph 2;

c) representing the department in general interdepartmental tasks.

4. The Department Staff Unit may request the support of the department's service units in fulfilling these various tasks.

5. The head of the Department Staff Unit holds the title "Secretary General" and has the same powers as the heads of the service units. This is particularly in accordance with the implementation regulations of the Law on State Personnel of Valais and the implementing ordinances of the Law on Business Management and Financial Budget of the Canton and its supervision. The Head of Department may appoint a Deputy Secretary General.

6. Regarding harmonization between the departments, the State Council may make recommendations concerning personnel allocation, general organization, and the specific tasks of the departments' staff units.

1. The organizational units subordinate to a department are defined as follows

a) Office: an organizational unit subordinate to a head of department with a comprehensive area of work;

b) Agency: an organizational unit subordinate to an office with a specific area of work and certain functional autonomy;

c) Section: an organizational unit subordinate to an office with a specific area of work;

d) Bureau: an organizational unit subordinate to an agency or a section;

e) Institution: a unit of personnel and goods subordinate to a head of department, which is responsible for fulfilling certain tasks in the public interest and has its own financial competencies.

2. The delegate pursuant to Article 3, paragraph 2 of the Ordinance on Authorities is directly subordinate to a head of department, but administratively affiliated with an office.

3. The term "Directorate" may also be used for an office or section, without establishing an organizational unit.

4. The designations established by federal legislation are not affected by the organization of the cantonal administration.

1. The State Council and the departments ensure coordination as mandated by law and practicality.

2. The State Council establishes a list of coordination tasks and the resources it expends for their fulfillment.

3. It sets up a conference of the general secretaries under the chairmanship of the chancellor. This conference particularly leads the coordination within the cantonal administration and deals with tasks that fall within the competence of the departmental staff units, as well as with all general administrative matters that extend beyond the scope of a service unit or a department. This conference may call upon other representatives of the cantonal administration.

1. The administration respects the principle of equality of the two official languages and initiates all communications and responses in the language of the recipient.

2. The procedures, moreover, take into account the territorial principle and, at least for the provision, use the language customary in the respective region. The individual's right according to Article 12, paragraph 1 of the Cantonal Constitution, remains guaranteed.

1. The administrative units tasked with managing dossiers shall determine a procedure that meets the requirements for quality, legality, and efficiency, as well as ensures prompt processing.

2. They shall designate those responsible for the dossiers, ensure the necessary collaboration, and review compliance with the objectives.

1. Unless otherwise provided by law, the head of the department may delegate their authority to a head of service, who shall act on their behalf.

1. When designating members of commissions provided for by law or of extraparliamentary commissions tasked with reporting on a specific matter, the State Council is responsible for ensuring the best possible representation of various interests, particularly social partners and concerning gender equality, without however unnecessarily impeding functionality.

2. A person may generally serve on the same commission for a maximum of twelve years. In the presence of special circumstances, such as jeopardizing the commission’s activities due to a lack of replacement members with the necessary skills, the State Council may deviate from this principle.

3. The State Council or department heads may establish administrative commissions or internal working groups to examine specific issues.

1. For all legislative drafts of significant political, cultural, economic, or financial importance, a consultation process open to all interested parties shall be conducted via publication on the official website of the State of Wallis. A corresponding announcement will also be published on the official website of the State of Wallis as well as in the official gazette.

2. The written procedure includes a sufficiently long response period, which, however, should correspond to the objective of the matter to be regulated. If necessary, the consultation may take the form of a conference.

3. The result of the consultation will be integrated into the State Council's message as a summary of the opinions expressed.

4. In any case, the department shall propose to the State Council the modalities for the required consultation.

1. The State Council issues regulations governing the modalities for the publication of cantonal legislative enactments, as well as a directive that specifies the procedure and method of legislation.

1. The allocations of competence, as they arise from the Regulation of April 24, 1996, as well as from Article 1 of this Regulation, take precedence over conflicting designations from previous legislation.

2. This Regulation shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall enter into force on May 1, 1997.