Luiz Alberto dos Santos, undersecretary for government affairs at the Office of the Presidency, says plans are afoot to make directors of regulatory agencies removable if found to be ?inefficient?.
Currently regulators can be dismissed only if convicted in a court of law. ?One of the possibilities we?re considering is tying tenure to successful achievement of the agency?s objectives,? he says. There are no plans to change the procedures for appointment or the term of office. Directors of regulatory agencies are nominated by the president, ratified by the Senate, and serve for five years.
Another issue prioritized by the Presidency, Mr Santos continues, is a shortage of qualified staff at regulatory bodies. A government study is in progress to quantify and qualify their real needs on this front.
The Government is also considering the introduction of management contracts for regulatory agencies, as is already the case in the electric power sector.
