Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Government’s view is that that transparency is critical for the public to understand the evidence...
Conclusion
Government’s view is that that transparency is critical for the public to understand the evidence behind decisions and how money is being spent, and that transparency should be the default position.44 The Analysis Function consider that transparency of evaluation findings allows departments to learn lessons from past projects and make them available for the future so the same mistakes might be avoided.45 However, the Finance Function explained that unlike the publication of statistics which is governed by regulation, the publication of evaluations depends on ministerial consent. Some parts of government are reluctant to publish their evaluations. For example, the Department for Work & Pensions was recently reluctant to publish insights from evaluations of the benefits system.46 Departments find it difficult to get approval from senior civil servants and the Cabinet Office to publish evaluation and protocols. More than one-third of chief analysts say that only sometimes are they able to publish evaluation findings as required.47
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2023 5.2 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation to publish and maintain an evaluation registry. As there is currently no centralised place where government departments can publish evaluation evidence, the Evaluation Task Force is developing an online registry of UK government evaluations that will be publicly accessible. It will allow departments to publish evaluation plans/protocols and reports, in line with expectations outlined in the Government Social Research Publication Protocol and Concordat to Support Research Integrity. It will also allow departments to indicate estimated publication dates of evaluation reports. 5.3 The evaluation registry's functionality will enable users in departments to add or update evaluation information, and the government expects that departments will use this functionality to provide explanations where publications are delayed significantly or withheld. 5.4 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2022 5.5 The Analysis Function is currently reviewing its Functional Standard which incorporates a variety of different quality dimensions with respect to analysis. Included within this standard are the various codes of practice and guidance books which support analytical best practice, of which the Aqua Book, which covers guidance on producing quality analysis for government, is one. As part of this standards piece – and in light of the Committee’s recommendation – there is a work programme over summer 2022 to review procedures around the quality assurance of models and to incorporate improved practices across departments by the end of the year.