Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Not Addressed
Ethnic diversity on government programme boards and within departments requires further improvement.
Conclusion
We asked SROs about the diversity of their programme boards, which could help establish an effective, open and constructive environment. For Universal Credit, the SRO explained how, over time, the Board had included women and men in almost equal number fulfilling different roles, alongside representatives from HM Treasury, the IPA and a local authority. For electronic monitoring, the SRO described the Programme Board as representative of HM Prison & Probation Service but recognised that this did not equate to being representative of society at large.47 We also asked the IPA and HM Treasury about diversity within their respective organisations. IPA said it has quite a diverse team, both in terms of cognitive diversity and background. HM Treasury agreed that it is similarly diverse in terms of background although officials tended to have a more policy experience. 36 C&AG’s Report, para 13 37 Qq 111–114 38 Q 69 39 Q 99; C&AG’s Report, Universal Credit: progress update, Session 2014–15, HC 786, 26 November 2014 40 Qq 73–75, 79, 90 41 C&AG’s Report, para 16 42 Q 17 43 Qq 16 44 Qq 9, 10, 91, 93 45 Qq 76–77 46 Qq 16, 19 47 Qq 70–72 12 Resetting government programmes HM Treasury set out that across its public spending work, around 50%, or maybe even more, were female. We commented, however, that there still seemed to be some way to go on ethnic diversity.48
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the observation but its response focuses on the IPA's work to promote a culture of learning and psychological safety, and a review by June 2024 on enhancing transparency, rather than directly addressing diversity on programme boards or ethnic diversity.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2024 3.2 The IPA works closely with project leaders across government to support a culture of continuous learning and provide opportunities for senior leaders to share lessons and exchange knowledge openly and transparently. It also runs courses for senior leaders and Ministers on how to create the conditions for success and a culture of psychological safety to ensure signs of underperformance are spotted and raised in good time. 3.3 The IPA will review how it can further address concerns regarding transparency across government programmes and projects, to help encourage open and honest working environments where team members feel able to share concerns and highlight risks and issues early. 3.4 The IPA provided further information in a letter to the Committee, issued alongside the publication of this Treasury Minute.