Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Accepted
Only half of civil servants feel safe to challenge current practices
Conclusion
The National Audit Office found that just 52% of people ‘think it is safe to challenge the way things are done’, from their review of responses to the 2022 Civil Service People Survey. The equivalent figure for the NHS was 61.5%.29 The Cabinet Office told us it has improved over the recent People Surveys, but it needs to work on increasing this percentage as its not where it wants it to be. The Cabinet Office highlighted that it can support departments with the right tools to improve their ‘speak up’ environment, but said it is the responsibility of individual Accounting Officers to make sure they set the right 18 C&AG’s Report, para 3.11 19 Q 27 20 Q 37; C&AG’s Report, para 3.11 21 Q 27 22 C&AG’s Report, para 14 23 Q 48–50 24 Qq 63–65 25 Qq 38; C&AG’s Report, para 3.12 26 Qq 38–40, 72 27 Q 2 28 Q 28 29 C&AG’s Report, para 3.7 Investigation into whistleblowing in the civil service 11 environment in their own departments and agencies. The Cabinet Office also noted that audit and risk committees need to ensure the right processes are in place for Accounting Officers to be able to discharge that accountability.30
Government Response Summary
The Cabinet Office will foster the sharing of best practice through the online hub, continue to deliver events, develop a learning offer, promote the Speak Up campaign, commission a survey of whistleblowers, focus the Speak Up campaign on the cultural side of raising concerns, and consider introducing a civil service-wide whistleblowing champion.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
3.2 The Cabinet Office recognises that changes in organisational culture can take time to evolve and become embedded and at a different pace across departments. The Cabinet Office will continue to foster the sharing of whistleblowing/raising a concern best practice across the Civil Service through the online practitioner's hub. 3.3 The Cabinet Office has: • built a stakeholder community where practitioners can engage with each other in a safe space, raise concerns and share learning; • delivered a conference for policy leads in Autumn 2023, to support understanding of the current initiatives happening across the civil service and wider. This will become an annual event; • developed and published a learning offer for departmental nominated officers; • engaged with and promoted the annual Speak Up campaign. 3.4 The Cabinet Office will work with departmental leads to commission a survey of whistleblowers to better understand their experience and the speak-up culture across government. Findings will be shared with HR Directors. 3.5 The Cabinet Office will use this year’s annual ‘Speak Up’ campaign, planned for late autumn, to focus on the cultural side of raising a concern and ensuring that it is safe for concerns to be raised. The intention is that this can be tailored by departments to align with their existing culture and approach to raising a concern. 3.6 Further, the Cabinet Office is considering the introduction of a civil service-wide whistleblowing champion at SCS level. The champion would be a senior figurehead to showcase the importance of speaking up across the civil service, to promote and encourage a culture where it is safe to challenge and to assure those raising concerns that they will be listened to and protected.