Policy Skills Assessment

These recommendations can be accepted in full.

Some elements are addressed in existing guidance, including:
• the role of the Senior Responsible Officer in respect of the delivery of a project or programme;
• existing Business Case guidance;
• the obligation upon civil servants under their Code of Ethics to provide objective and impartial advice, and to give Ministers all the facts;
• departmental systems to set priorities and targets (consistent with the PfG) to report progress against key targets.

They have been addressed in work to date through:
• the review of recruitment and selection policies and practices as part of the NICS People Strategy;
• the Review of Business Case and Expenditure Approval processes.

Further work is required to:
• reflect key principles in the guidance relating to policy making, Business Cases, Project Management including GatewayTM guidance, and risk-management;
• address the knowledge and skills of those in policy roles, including training with an emphasis on modelling and testing, by conducting a fundamental review of the Practical Guide to Policy Making through the Policy Champions’’ Network, and follow through to the Policy Skills Guide and policy-skills training offer.;
• embed NICS ethical standards;
• ensure financial and non-financial performance target reporting to the Minister, including outside the budget period.

The Head of the Policy Profession has commissioned advice on how the status of Making a Difference policy-making guidance might be formalised.

Work will be undertaken to scope out how a control mechanism for the delivery of the policy function, reflecting Making a Difference, might be implemented, in appropriate cases, akin to the Gateway process for projects or business case processes for expenditure.

Making a Difference (the new, short guide to the policy function) was published 1 February 2023. RHI recommendations were referenced in the launch presentation to 900+ policy officials.

The approach to policy development set out in Making a Difference, makes it clear that the level of resourcing should be assessed from the beginning. It also makes clear that policy development should not move forward unless adequate resources are available. Furthermore, the approach in the guide was developed to be in line the principles of good practice in programme and project management. (This applies whether or not a formal programme or project approach is being adopted).

Project or programme management provides for an assessment of the resource required from the beginning through the conduct of an independent Gateway assessment. Otherwise, the need for sufficient resource to develop and deliver a policy is a matter for assessment within the business area, and for assurance to the Minister and, as appropriate, to the Assembly Committee.

Making a Difference (published 1 February 2023) emphasises using what works in other places (p.13). The RHI recommendations were referenced in the launch presentation to 900+ policy officials.

Making a Difference, makes it clear that there may be times when a Minister will choose to ensure that their policy aligns with that in a neighbouring jurisdiction, including for the purposes of implementation. The expectation that this must be considered as an option will inform the nature of the advice given by officials.

The form in which policies are articulated, evidenced and explained will depend upon the nature of the policy and the scrutiny given by the Assembly; it is not prescriptive.

Guidance to policy teams on collaboration with neighbouring jurisdictions, in the form of extension material from Making a Difference, was launched in September 2023.

The recommendation as a whole is likely to be fully implemented based on the planned action.

This sub-recommendation within Recommendation 1: the recommendation is likely to be fully implemented based on the implementation of the guidance to making policy (Making a Difference).

In order for this recommendation to be regarded as Implemented, it is essential that the NICS can demonstrate that a rigorous assessment of whether there are sufficient skills and resources to deliver the policy safely and competently has been carried out.

Our conclusion is that the Department should obtain assurances from an independent review of the rigour of such assessments when considering new policies. In response, DoF has told us that it will take steps to fully address the Inquiry’s recommendation in this area, and it will commission advice on how the status of Making a Difference policy making guidance might be formalised – this has now commenced. Further to this, work is also to be undertaken which will scope out how a control mechanism for the delivery of the policy function, reflecting Making a Difference, might be implemented, in appropriate cases, akin to the Gateway process for projects or business case processes for expenditure – the Department has confirmed that, as yet no timescale has been set out.