Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Accepted
Clear outcomes, defined responsibilities, and a supportive culture are essential for cross-government success.
Conclusion
As well as a shared vision, clear outcomes need to be established and shared between departments to measure success.15 Clearly defined responsibilities and accountability structures are also important.16 Cabinet Office told us that alongside encouraging cross- government working by explaining the financial benefits to those involved, it is also important to ensure a culture exists which recognises and appreciates cross-government efforts.17
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the observation and targets March 2025 for ongoing work, stating that in May 2023 it published new guidance on six joint delivery models to help departments identify appropriate collaboration levels and understand changing responsibilities, and HM Treasury will continue to monitor and analyse their use.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target Implementation date: March 2025. HM Treasury is strongly supportive of cross-government working and has taken steps in recent years to facilitate joined-up policy development and delivery. In May 2023, the government published the six joint delivery models for cross- government working in Managing Public Money guidance. This guidance supports departments to identify what level of collaboration is right for their project and to understand how the responsibilities change with levels of cross-government working. HM Treasury will continue to monitor and analyse how different models of cross- government working are being used, including lessons learned from the Shared Outcomes Fund, assessments of cross-cutting priority outcomes in departments’ Outcome Delivery Plans, and learnings from projects where HM Treasury has provided tailored support in specific cross-cutting areas. The Evaluation Task Force will provide consultation and will share relevant findings on cross-government working that can be used in the analysis. These findings will continue to be used to shape HM Treasury’s advice on using models of cross- government working. This recommendation is on-going but will be updated on progress by March 2025.