The Minister for Public Administration and Justice explained the launching of the district system on ATV television's Egyenes beszéd ("Straight Talk") programme on Monday. With relation to Zsolt Bayer's article on the Roma, published on Saturday, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that in his opinion the article makes fun of every democratic community principle that we believe in.

Tibor Navracsics added that nobody may be classified into one category or another based on their ethnic origin; everyone must be measured according to their individual performance and individual acts, and this has nothing to do with where they may otherwise belong with regard to their ethnicity, religion, denomination  or sex. He made it clear that anyone who believes that a group of people are animals has no place in the community.

With regard to the district system, he said that "The Government's goal is for things to be better for the country's citizens. (…) We wish to provide faster and friendlier administration in the 175 districts and 23 Budapest district offices." He added that the network of government kiosks, of which 300 will be opened by the end of the year, including at some main railways stations, would be built on the district office system. The goal of the government kiosks is to provide quick and modern administration.

The Minister also explained that the Government had attempted to solve a 20-year issue through the new district system. In Hungary, public administration tasks that may be standardised and are very similar are currently performed in some 3200 local government offices, and these have now been reorganised into a new unit that makes the organisation and performance of these tasks much cheaper and faster. Public administration procedures are also being made simpler parallel to the establishment of the new system, leading to shorter procedural deadlines.

In reply to a question on the Government reshuffle, Tibor Navracsics stated that it was the Prime Minister's prerogative to decide who would become Minister of what field.  "This following year that is left of our current term provides me with more than enough tasks, and so this is what I have planned and I would like to continue doing what I am doing at present."

The Minister for Public Administration and Justice also stated that he thought it was a good thing that the proposed voting registration system had been given prior scrutiny, and in relation to the fact that registration would not yet be introduced in 2014 he said "In my opinion we have made the right decision."

(Ministry of Public Administration and Justice)