06 February 2009
By Mark Smulian
A National Audit Office report has found no evidence that the capability reviews of Whitehall departments have led to improved public services.
All 17 main departments were reviewed during 2006/07 by teams appointed by the Cabinet Office. The programme cost £6.4m.
Each department was assessed against ten criteria but only one – the Department for International Development – was rated ‘strong’ or ‘well-placed’ on more than half these.
A quarter of all Whitehall ratings revealed ‘urgent development areas’, and first-round results from the Home Office and Department for Health were so bad they entered the ‘serious concern’ category.
Edward Leigh, chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said: ‘On paper the results show progress is being made and that departments are making improvements in the way they work.
‘But the whole point of any such initiative has to be to improve the services provided to the public. As yet, there is no evidence of a relationship between the capability review initiatives and any improvements in public services.’
The ten criteria were spread across ‘delivery’, ‘leadership’ and ‘strategy’. The NAO noted it was unusual to examine these categories in an organisation ‘in isolation from its operational results’.
Its report, Assessment of the capability review programme, published on February 5, warned: ‘The lack of a link between capability review scores and reported performance will appear increasingly anomalous and could undermine the credibility of both.’
Auditors also complained that the reviews had excluded some 270 executive agencies and non-departmental bodies, which were critical to central government service provision.
The reviews were also criticised for failing to directly assess the abilities of any staff below senior leadership level.
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