A UAE ministry has revoked the licence of a Tasheel government service centre, temporarily closed down another and imposed penalties on nine more in a major crackdown on poor performance.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation said it took the tough action after the centres committed a string of violations and failed to heed warnings to raise their standards.
Failures included low quality of work, a large number of complaints from customers and lengthy waiting periods.
Tasheel centres provide a wide variety of government services under one roof, including Emirates ID and medical fitness applications.
In a statement, the ministry said the centres had fallen short of standards set by the Emirates Programme for Excellence in Government Services, launched in 2011 to boost the efficiency of government services.
The centre that had it licence withdrawn was based in Dubai, while the facility temporarily shut down is located in Sharjah.
The remaining centres, based in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, have had certain services suspended.
"We will continue implementing our strategic plan for Tasheel centres with routine inspections to ensure they implement the standards set by the Emirates Programme for Excellence in Government Services," the ministry said.The stringent action comes in the wake of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, hitting out at poor standards at a government service centre and pledging to remove staff who are not performing well.
The Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai shared an image of lengthy queues at a branch of Emirates Post.
He spoke of the need for a broader focus on customer service and "transparency" in public services.
