Recommendation 21

The Sponsor Body told us that it has established a challenge panel, as part of its strategic review. We heard from the Sponsor Body that it is intended as a “mechanism for us to test ideas, to mitigate the risk of group-think among those of us who are slightly more involved in the detail, and to get some different views as we move through the review process.” However, its composition is heavily weighted towards the government.49 It is our experience that the best work in Parliament is undertaken when the participants are cross- party. Ensuring that all stakeholders are engaged at the outset helps to prevent problems further down the line.50