Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 23
23
This rushed timescale meant that the Department undertook limited stakeholder engagement and restricted its options...
Conclusion
This rushed timescale meant that the Department undertook limited stakeholder engagement and restricted its options for procuring an administrator.64 The Department also did not pilot the scheme to test its feasibility.65 These issues led to many of the problems described in Part One including the lack of understanding installer needs, the complexity of the scheme and the performance of the administrator. The Department pressed on with its unrealistic timetable despite warning signs during implementation.66 Both the Department’s own assessment, and that of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, showed that the Scheme was high risk.67 In addition, the Department’s Projects and Investment Committee rejected the Scheme’s Full Business Case two days prior to the Scheme launch date as it did not believe the full £1.5 billion would be spent and was not able to confirm the scheme administrator’s IT solution would function, as it had yet to be fully developed and tested.68
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
3.2 The department recognises the impact that the shortened timescale had on officials’ ability to meaningfully engage with consumers and installers, and that the scheme administrator’s digital delivery complicated these processes. 3.3 The pace of the GHGv scheme delivery led to some policy design decisions that added complexity to the user experience. However, key elements of the scheme design were informed by important learnings from previous schemes, including the prioritisation of robust quality assurance and customer protection. 3.4 This necessarily drove the quality standard requirements for tradespeople to be registered with TrustMark and have the relevant trade certifications, in line with the recommendations set out in the 2016 Each Home Counts (EHC) review. The department remains committed to implementing the outcomes of the EHC review and the importance of high standards in retrofit, including the transition to the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030/2035:2019, which represent an industry-wide approach to ensuring quality home retrofit and consumer protection. 3.5 Nevertheless, it is recognised that policy implementation can be improved. For each proposed policy development, the department aims to undertake robust public consultation to gather views of potentially affected stakeholders and seek feedback from consumers on the effectiveness of policy implementation. 3.6 All policy development is underpinned by the Policy Profession Standards, which defines the skills and knowledge required from all UK Civil Servants involved in policy work. Lessons learned from the GHGv scheme are being shared across the department and will inform the development of future schemes.