Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 19
19
This Committee reported in 2016 that government’s accountability arrangements had failed to keep pace with...
Conclusion
This Committee reported in 2016 that government’s accountability arrangements had failed to keep pace with increasingly complex ways of delivering policies and services and that this had weakened accountability to Parliament for the use of public funds.56 Noting the long timescales and magnitude of the delivery challenge, we questioned witnesses on who was accountable for levelling up outcomes. The Department told us that levelling up was a cross-government exercise which inevitably made accountability more complicated.57 The Department explained that Cabinet Committee would be the formal mechanism for overseeing the Levelling Up work as a whole but that government was still working through accountabilities for the Levelling Up ‘missions’- in reference to the 12 ‘missions’ or Levelling Up outcomes set out in the White Paper.58
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2022 6.2 The Levelling Up White Paper sets out twelve missions that support levelling up outcomes. Missions are a tool to break down silos and encourage collaboration across the public, private and voluntary sectors. To ensure missions deliver these benefits the department have implemented a new architecture across central government to support delivery. The ‘mission architecture’ provides clear accountability through named individuals taking responsibility for progress and puts in place structures designed to smooth interdepartmental cooperation on a mission-by-mission basis. This includes the Levelling Up Cabinet Sub-Committee, which has been established to embed levelling up across central government policy design and delivery. Once these arrangements have been confirmed with new ministers, the department and HM Treasury will write to the Committee separately with further details.