26 September 2003
The set-up of the Downing Street press office is to come under scrutiny to assess whether the staff changes 'will really help improve the management of government communications', the Commons' public administration select committee said this week.
Announcing an inquiry on the machinery of government in the wake of the Hutton hearings, the PASC said it would look at the performance and approach of government press officers as well as the leadership and management of the civil service as a whole.
Cabinet Secretary Sir Andrew Turnbull, who has kept a low profile throughout the inquiry, will be called to answer questions on his role as head of the civil service.
However, the inquiry will not begin until after Lord Hutton's final report has been published. The PASC said it would also wait for the publication of the final Phillis report, which is reviewing the Government Information and Communications Service, before the hearings began.
PASC chair Tony Wright said committee members were not interested in reopening any previous inquiries. Instead, members were keen to look at broader questions about public administration and the ability of the civil service machinery to prevent future problems in Whitehall.
He told Public Finance that MPs have a duty to explore the issues that will be raised in Lord Hutton's final report. He said: 'Without prejudging the outcome, it is pretty clear already that there are issues to do with the whole system that need addressing.'
Wright said the Hutton report could not be the end of the process. He added: 'It is a real challenge for Parliament to look at how we do these investigations in the future and there are a host of issues which we plan to look at in our inquiry.
The FDA, which represents senior civil servants, would not be drawn on the issue. General secretary Jonathan Baume told PF: 'We are relaxed about the outcome of the inquiry. There are lessons to be learned and we are adopting a wait and see approach to the issue.'
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