Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 15
15
The Cabinet Office told us it focusses on cross-cutting risks that can only be addressed...
Conclusion
The Cabinet Office told us it focusses on cross-cutting risks that can only be addressed at the centre of government. It addresses these risks through the production of the national risk register and the national security risk assessment, and through summarising risks across ALBs and examining these for patterns and themes.31 However, there is currently no function within the Cabinet Office that is responsible for liaising with the Government Finance Function on cross-departmental and ALB risk. As the Government Finance Function leads the oversight and reporting of risks to the Civil Service Board, a lack of interaction between these two bodies makes it difficult for the centre of government to understand where risks exist across the board.32 Data and legacy IT systems
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
4: PAC conclusion: The Cabinet Office and HM Treasury do not have a common view of risks across arm’s-length bodies. 4: PAC recommendation: In its Treasury Minute response the Cabinet Office should set out how: • it will gain assurance that departments have developed a consolidated view of the risks presented by their ALBs; and • it will use departmental assessments of ALB risks to inform discussions on cross-cutting risk with the Government Finance Function. 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2022 4.2 The Cabinet Office will work with the Government Finance Function to: • promoting good practice and effective relationships and transparency between departments and their ALBs to support a mutual understanding of risk with proportionate monitoring and aligned reporting; • creating common frameworks that allow assessment of organisational risk management maturity, to be published Summer 2022; • using departments’ assessment of risks and their management across their ALBs to inform the public bodies programme of focussed and coordinated reviews to examine the effectiveness of the management of areas of significant risk; and • enhancing capabilities and drive professionalism to build risk management awareness and knowledge across leaders at all levels of government organisations.