Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Acknowledged
The Department still lacks a stock management system that enables it to fully understand what...
Recommendation
The Department still lacks a stock management system that enables it to fully understand what PPE it has and where it is. The Department believes that it has now received nearly all of the 37.9 billion PPE items that it has ordered, with 300 million items yet to be received. The management data on total stock numbers, however, has rarely been accurate. The Department blames inconsistencies between the volumes of PPE ordered and quantities shown in stock counts on the lack of a single end-to-end stock management system that captures all the stock it holds. This is exacerbated by the fact that the Department is still storing PPE in 70 locations across the UK, with items also held in China and also by suppliers. In order to make informed decisions about the appropriate amount of PPE to stockpile in future, the Department will need accurate and complete data on the stock it currently holds. Recommendation: The Department should set out in its Treasury Minute response to the Committee how it intends to work with SCCL to build and maintain an effective stock management system that is complete and accurate in its data collection.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation and the department has undertaken a review of historic ministerial diaries and has, where necessary, updated the register in line with Cabinet Office requirements; the department has strengthened both reporting and quality assurance processes.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
2. PAC recommendation: In its Treasury Minute response, the Department should set out how it intends to strengthen its transparency processes and ensure that it enforces requirements and takes action where they are not followed. 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation Implemented 2.2 The exponential increase in departmental activity and the urgency with which meetings were conducted at the height of the pandemic resulted in inadvertent omissions from the register of ministerial meetings. Many hundreds of meetings with external parties were routinely published in line with transparency requirements over this period. The department has undertaken a review of historic ministerial diaries and has, where necessary, updated the register in line with Cabinet Office requirements. 2.3 The department takes transparency requirements for ministerial teams extremely seriously and has strengthened both reporting and quality assurance processes. Minutes are taken for all meetings with external parties and are centrally held. The clearance requirements for quarterly transparency returns are in line with best practice across government, including PPS and ministerial clearance for each entry. Sessions led by the Cabinet Office on transparency returns are attended by those responsible for compiling ministerial returns. Corporate objectives, including transparency requirements, are reinforced across ministerial private offices and in all performance management conversations. Should there be a future failure to meet requirements, the department will correct the public record at the first available opportunity and will ensure that new employees are reminded of the importance of adhering to transparency obligations.