Departments

The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development currently consists of eight specialised departments with responsibility for specific policy areas, a department of administrative affairs and a communication unit.

  • The Department of Administration

    The overall objective of the Department of Administration is to ensure the efficient operation and administration of the Ministry and the coordination of cross-sectoral research and development.

    Director General Christine Hamnen

  • The Communication Unit

    The Communication Unit coordinates and initiates contact with the media and the rest of society, and deals with matters relating to communication within the Ministry.

    Head of Communications Kjersti Bjørgo

  • Department of Employer Policy

    The Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation is responsible for government employer policy. The Department of Employer Policy manages and develops laws and regulations, agreements, administrative provisions, general conditions etc for the government's personnel and employer policy. This responsibility includes drawing up the framework for the execution and development of the function as employer in state entities.

    Director General Gisle Norheim

  • Department of National IT Policy and Public Governance

    The department has coordination responsibility for the public administration policy and the national ICT policy, for parts of the data protection policy and for electronic communications. The responsibility includes work on digitalisation and innovation in the public sector, the Personal Data Regulations and administrative responsibility for the Norwegian Data Protection Authority and the Privacy Appeals Board. The department is also responsible for the supervision of the  Norwegian Digitilisation Agency and for the Norwegian Communications Authority. The department is led by Director Jan Hjelle.

    Director General Jan Hjelle

  • The Housing and Building Department

    The Housing and Building Department is responsible for implementing the government’s housing and building policy.

    Director General Benedikte Endresen

  • The Department of Local Government

    The Department of Local Government is responsible for implementing local government policy.

    Director General Cathrin Sætre

  • Department for Planning

    The department’s area of responsibility includes management and development tasks under the Planning and Building Act relating to urban development, municipal land-use planning, environmental impact analyses, and regional planning.- The department is also responsible for national mapping and geodata policy and is responsible for the Norwegian Mapping Authority.

    Director General Jarle Jensen

  • The Department of Regional Development

    The Department of Regional Development is responsible for monitoring the Norwegian government’s rural and regional policy.

    Director General Anne Karin Hamre

  • Department of Indigenous and National Minority Affairs

    Department of Indigenous and National Minority Affairs is tasked with implementing and following up the Government's objectives in the policy towards the Sami population and the national minorities: Jews, Kven /Norwegian Finns, Roma, Forest Finns and Romani people/Taters.

    Director General Bjørn Olav Megard

  • The Department of Government Services

    The Department of Government Services is responsible for public construction and property policies in the state civil sector and for securing government buildings with the exception of the Ministry of Defence and the Office of the Prime Minister in offices of the Ministry of Defence. The department is also responsible for shared services and infrastructure in the ministerial community and leads the work on the reconstruction of the new government quarter.

    Director General Jan Olav Pettersen