Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Accepted
HMRC has not evaluated Child Trust Fund scheme since 2011, despite international interest
Conclusion
HMRC has not published an evaluation of the scheme since 2011. It has not reassessed the scheme now that young adults are claiming their accounts, stating that there is no “particular appetite” for this.35 The Share Foundation described “quite a bit of international interest” in the outcomes of the Child Trust Fund scheme, and told us Bristol University has approached it about conducting survey research into young people who have found their Child Trust Funds through the independent Child Trust Fund register.36
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and commits to formalising a detailed plan for the evaluation of the Child Trust Fund scheme by Winter 2023, with a target implementation date of Summer 2025. HMRC will also be open to external researchers accessing its data for analysis.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target Implementation date: Summer 2025 6.2 HMRC is committed to evaluation. The evaluation framework was published in 2021 and sets out HMRC’s approach to achieving good quality monitoring and evaluations of its policies in line with government good practice. HMRC has committed to publishing its external research programmes in the HMRC annual report and accounts and has made the same commitment for evaluation. A list and brief description of HMRC’s research reports, and the final research report, is available on GOV.UK. HMRC also publishes a list of HMRC planned evaluation publications. 6.3 Any evaluation plan, however, needs to be carefully considered and proportionate recognising that resources are limited. The CTF is an intervention that has been discontinued and is not currently part of the policy framework. While there are undoubtedly some lessons that can be learned, any evaluation plan will need to be mindful of this wider context. A more detailed plan for evaluation will be formalised in Winter 2023. 6.4 In addition, evaluation and similar analysis are not solely the purview of Government. HMRC also seeks to be open and pro-active in the way it manages its relationships with external stakeholders such as academics and external researchers, including those researching CTFs, and permits access to HMRC data via the HMRC Datalab.