Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Set out specific actions to analyse civil service whistleblowing data for improved knowledge.
Conclusion
There is a lack of data analysis and sharing of insights regarding whistleblowing across of the civil service. The Cabinet Office does not utilise its central position to analyse the cross-government data it collects. This could help identify trends and valuable insights that could be shared across the civil service. Currently, the Government People Group (GPG) produces summary statistics of the whistleblowing departmental data it collects, but there is no systematic analysis performed. For example, 40% of the concerns raised over the last three years relate to fraud, but there is no further detail beyond this categorisation so the Cabinet Office do not understand why this is the case. In addition, the Cabinet Office does not review the departments completed health checks or compare them against their issued guidance. This would enable it to compare department processes, understand any differences and offer support as needed. The Cabinet Office acknowledges that it should provide more guidance and follow up with departments on their returns. Recommendation 2: In its Treasury Minute response to this report, the Cabinet Office should clearly set out the specific actions it will take to analyse and synthesise the data collected in 2024 and 2025 to help improve the knowledge of whistleblowing across the civil service.
Government Response Summary
The Cabinet Office has already robustly analysed submitted data, categorising themes, clarifying investigation times, and exploring whistleblower experience. It will work with PSFA to explore 2024-25 data themes, look at People Survey results, and continue benchmarking annual data for year-on-year comparisons.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented The Cabinet Office has robustly analysed the data submitted to: • categorise key themes / cases to support understanding of the data / what it is telling us; • clarify the time taken to conclude investigations and look for ways to reduce this; • explore the experience / treatment of the whistleblower; • ensure ALL responses, including NIL, are submitted; • follow up on cases which were ongoing at the time of collection; • hold departmental assurance conversations; • assess the experience of the whistleblower, where data is available; • scrutinise areas of concern and hold departmental assurance conversations. The Cabinet Office Government People Group will work with other parts of the Cabinet Office, including the Public Sector Fraud Agency (PSFA) to ensure any themes identified from 2024-2025 data are explored and any lessons learned shared. The Cabinet Office will also look at the People Survey results and consider any actions to support improvements as necessary, including supporting departments with cultural and individual perceptions around raising concerns. The Cabinet Office Government Chief People Officer has shared the summary report for the year 2023-2024 with HR Directors, to support learning, and understanding of the organisation’s position and to ensure the accuracy of the data submitted. The Cabinet Office will take the opportunity to use the 2023-2024 data to benchmark against last year’s data (2022-2023). This will continue for 2024-2025 to enable a year-on- year comparison and identify any longer-term trends.