BY CHIA SUE-ANN

THE move to centralise the finance and human resource functions of 18 government agencies was officially launched yesterday.

About 350 civil servants from these agencies now work under one roof at the Centre for Shared Services (CSS), called Vital.org.

The centre was set up in April as a department under the Finance Ministry.

Nobody was laid off, said a CSS spokesman yesterday, adding that 92 per cent of staff accepted the transfer, with the rest redeployed within their agencies.

This sharing of resources will save the agencies up to 15 per cent of the $25 million to $30 million spent a year on these services, said the centre's chief executive Lim Hup Seng.

Minister of State (Finance and Transport) Lim Hwee Hua, who opened the centre, wants it to move more of the human resource and finance services online, such as leave applications and travel arrangements.

It should also go beyond these two areas into other services, so that government agencies can concentrate on their key priorities, she added.

Another 20 agencies will join the centre by next April. They include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Attorney-General's Chambers.