16 January 2004
The government is facing increasing pressure to adopt a more open approach from an influential group of MPs. Prompted by the success of the Hutton Inquiry, the MPs are demanding an overhaul of the parliamentary scrutiny system.
The Commons' liaison committee, whose members chair parliamentary select committees, has launched a review of the workings of the committees and raised its concerns about the limited access to government information that MPs often have.
Encouraged by the response to Lord Hutton's inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly, the liaison committee plans to compare the experience of the inquiry with the scrutiny process currently operated by select committees, particularly the difficulties experienced by members who try to obtain evidence from government departments.
Members are concerned that despite the lack of formal powers available to Lord Hutton, access to vital witnesses was not limited. This is seen to be in sharp contrast to the experience of select committee members, who are often told witnesses cannot appear or that documentary evidence cannot be supplied.
A source at the committee told Public Finance: 'What we are looking at is the speed and willingness among so many people to provide evidence and speak on the record before Hutton, when similar requests by select committee members are often rebutted, while evidence can take months to arrive.'
Members noted that the prime minister, as chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, and even the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, gave evidence on the record that was voluntarily submitted, including e-mails between officials, drafts of official papers, confidential correspondence, minutes of private meetings and personnel records.
The source said: 'This is the exact opposite of the experience under which select committees operate. We would never get correspondence, e-mails and documentary evidence of that sort given to us. We are now asking that if it was available for Hutton, who had no formal powers to request it, then it should be available to us in order that the monitoring of government can be thoroughly achieved.'
Downing Street faces further pressure over the next few weeks with the publication of a review of government communications. A key recommendation is likely to be a call for an overhaul of freedom of information legislation, which would make it easier for documents of the kind submitted to Hutton to be published.
Cabinet Office plans senior civil service overhaul
The Cabinet Office will attempt to introduce fresh blood at the top of the civil service through time-limited senior posts, according to a consultation document from the department.
Senior civil servants will be appointed on strict four-year postings and will be expected to move on or out of Whitehall when their contracts end.
The move is part of a drive by Cabinet Secretary Sir Andrew Turnbull to overhaul the development and training of civil servants in an attempt to beef up the delivery of government policy.
Rigorous appraisal will also be put in place to try to root out poor performers, and middle managers will receive more intensive training to prepare them for the senior civil service.
A Cabinet Office source said the changes were part of a concerted drive to improve skills and performance across Whitehall. She said: 'The time-limited postings mean a fresh start, and a new pair of eyes every four years should mean that policy and development is constantly being tested.'
Turnbull told Public Finance in October that his plans were essential to ensure staff were not left behind by their private and public sector counterparts. He said many Whitehall insiders missed promotion because they lacked the depth of experience needed in central government.
Civil service pressed to move out to the regions
The Treasury has warned Whitehall departments that they should not renew their London property leases or sign new ones without permission.
With the location of government departments under review, Chancellor Gordon Brown has made no secret of the fact that he is keen to move civil servants out of the capital because he wants to boost regional economies.
The review is being undertaken by Sir Michael Lyons, who is due to publish a final version of his report in March. His initial report revealed that about 33% of the nation's civil servants were based in London or the Southeast.
Officials want to prevent civil servants pre-empting the final report by signing deals that would tie them to their current premises and make moving out impossible.
A Treasury source said: 'We are not barring them from signing, but we are trying to make it clear that there can be no long-term leases signed until
the review is completed. The plan is to keep all our options open until a decision has been made.'
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