07 May 2004
Whitehall's statistics watchdog has moved to end political arguments over the use of civil service data by calling for new laws on how information is presented, claiming that the current setup is 'not strong enough'.
The recommendation from the Statistics Commission follows Conservative Party attempts to escalate the row over the way civil service efficiency data have been presented in recent weeks.
It also follows a long-running dispute over the accuracy of the 2001 census data, published by the Office for National Statistics, which infuriated some councils because, they claimed, it left them short of cash that is calculated and distributed on a per capita basis.
The commission published a report on the use of data on May 4. It recommends that steps be taken 'to introduce new legislation to strengthen the arrangements to ensure official statistics can be trusted'. This includes an enhanced role for the national statistician, the senior ONS post currently held by Len Cook, who was widely criticised during the census row.
A previous overhaul of the way data are used, undertaken four years ago, has not prevented problems, commission chair David Rhind warns.
Rhind's recommendations centre on a new statutory code of practice – 'to be developed by the National Statistician' – which will be binding on all government departments and agencies that collect or use statistics. It would be enforced by a new commission, accountable to Parliament, which would 'have powers to obtain information in pursuit of its enforcement'.
Rhind has sent his recommendations, the result of four years of investigations, to the Treasury. The department could see the plan as an ideal way to avoid accusations of political manipulation of data, which have become widespread in recent weeks.
Shadow Chancellor Oliver Letwin this week made public a letter sent to Cabinet Secretary Sir Andrew Turnbull, outlining the Tories' belief that Prime Minister Tony Blair has leaned on the ONS to 'prove' that Labour's additional tax revenue has been used to improve public services.
Turnbull has denied the Tory claims, which began following earlier leaks of government memos indicating that productivity levels across some public services have fallen.
The commission's recommendations would standardise the use of statistics on politically sensitive subjects such as asylum seekers and crime figures – reducing the potential for disputes.
Britain slips down a notch in e-government tables
The UK has slipped slightly in the latest global league table for e-government performance, losing out to France in the race to become fully 'e-enabled'.
Britain made only limited progress in e-government services last year, according to a report published by business services firm Accenture on May 4.
However, with the government rated joint ninth in the world – it was ranked eighth in 2003 – Whitehall is still performing relatively well in ensuring Britain uses new technology to deliver public services.
Accenture also notes that country-by-country differences in provision of services have narrowed.
Indeed, the report states that Britain could be 'one of the most interesting countries to watch' in coming years, as Whitehall attempts to drive through the efficiency savings that will be demanded by the Treasury during the next Spending Review period.
Accenture's annual study states that the e-government market across the globe is 'maturing slowly', claiming that many governments are at a crossroads with their services now that they have gleaned the easier, more immediate benefits of Internet and electronic services.
It warns UK ministers that the newly created head of e-government post – which has yet to be filled – 'must focus on driving greater efficiency and value through e-government', stating that 'only a few UK websites offer full transactional capabilities'.
Accenture also calls for greater emphasis on marketing new services to customers in order to meet targets for increased use in the UK.
Canada, Singapore, the USA, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and France are all rated as providing better services than the UK.
DfES job cuts confirmed
Officials at the Department for Education and Skills have confirmed that more than 1,400 civil service jobs will be slashed by 2008 under the government's plan to streamline Whitehall departments and free resources for frontline services.
The DfES is at the forefront of the Treasury's drive for efficiency savings. In his Budget speech in March, Chancellor Gordon Brown promised to reduce DfES staff levels by 31% — on top of the 40,000 promised cuts elsewhere in Whitehall.
According to the Public and Commercial Services union, officials within the department have now confirmed that this equates to 1,460 posts at sites in London, Sheffield, Runcorn and Darlington, as well as many jobs in the nine DfES 'regions'.
But the union is unhappy that officials have not provided details of which posts will go, claiming staff are still in the dark over their own futures.
Tony Conway, DfES group president for the union, said: 'The questions of what the department will stop doing, what work will be transferred to other bodies and just where the axe will fall remain unanswered. Staff are still unable to make concrete plans for the future.'
But the department said it was unlikely to announce any changes before July's Spending Review.
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