Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Deferred
Set out process for Clerks to manage conflicts between legal responsibilities.
Recommendation
It is unclear how the Clerks will manage their legal responsibilities to the programme alongside those to individuals working in and visiting the Palace. From January 2023 the Clerks, acting jointly, have overall responsibility for the parliamentary building works. They acknowledge their new legislative responsibilities which they will be required to fulfil alongside existing responsibilities as corporate and accounting officers to Parliament. We have previously recommended that the Clerks should set out how they would approach the challenge of being asked to do something they considered to be unwise or not value for money, for example through laying a statement akin to a ministerial direction. The Clerk of the Commons told us the Speaker of the House of Commons would be content with such a process. However, no equivalent process has been identified for the Clerk of Parliaments and it is unclear how this process will practically work. The Clerks could be put in an untenable position if, for example, they were asked to ensure Members could access certain parts of the Palace during restoration and renewal works and they could not guarantee their personal safety. Recommendation 4: The Clerks of the House of Commons and House of Lords need to set out the: • circumstances in which they would use something akin to a ministerial direction; and 8 Restoration & Renewal of the Palace of Westminster – 2023 Recall • the practical process they would follow should they be asked to do something which causes a conflict between their respective legal responsibilities.
Government Response Summary
The government's response is irrelevant to the recommendation, discussing drug strategy investment and alcohol treatment guidelines instead of the Clerks' process for handling conflicts of legal responsibility for the R&R programme.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. of the additional drug strategy investment. The department is providing a range of support to all local authorities for identifying and addressing barriers to engagement with treatment, including interpretation of local data, advice on specific treatment pathways, troubleshooting and sharing of best practice. Further targeted support is also provided to high priority areas for service improvement. The department, in partnership with the devolved administrations, is developing the first UK-wide clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment, which include guidance for commissioners and services on addressing barriers to treatment. The guidelines will go out for public consultation in Summer 2023 and final guidelines will be published later in the year. The department and NHS England are developing a joint action plan to address co- occurring mental health and drug/alcohol-related conditions. This programme of work will improve access to mental health services for people with drug and alcohol misuse conditions, as well as improve the links between mental health and substance misuse services. The department already published the Commissioning Quality Standard for drug and alcohol treatment services in August 2022. This includes requirements for local authorities to engage with other local services, such as mental health providers, to provide coordinated packages of care that support recovery, including for people with co-occurring mental health conditions.