A Scottish Government report examined community council activity and support. Community councils were created to ascertain and express the views of the community to the local authority and other public bodies. The report said that 84 per cent of possible community councils were active and there was a potential relationship between a lack of activity and the level of deprivation in the area. The report noted some differences between councils, such as in the method and level of funding and the levels of activity, and proposed further work to examine the differences.
Source: Survey of Local Authority Community Councils, Scottish Government
Date: 2013-Dec
A new book examined partnership working and governance under the New Labour government in the United Kingdom. It said that, despite substantial investment in the partnership agenda, there was little evidence that this had significantly improved outcomes. It examined three areas of policy (child safeguarding, urban regeneration, and the modernization of health and social care), applying a new framework to the analysis before making recommendations about effective collaboration.
Source: Helen Dickinson, Performing Governance: Partnerships, culture and New Labour, Palgrave Macmillan (Publication date: May 2014)
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Dec
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that the government should reconsider its proposals for the reform of legal aid, with more and broader exemptions from some proposals, to protect against breaches of the fundamental right of effective access to justice in individual cases. Recommendations included: that any residence test for eligibility be introduced through primary legislation to allow for full parliamentary scrutiny; that all children should be exempt from any residence test; for urgent reforms to be made to the internal prison complaints system; and that legal assistance should remain for young offenders, particularly for cases regarding resettlement. It also raised concerns about the impact of the proposals on people with mental capacity or mental health difficulties, and about the proposal to remove cases with borderline prospects of success from legal aid funding.
Source: The Implications for Access to Justice of the Government's Proposals to Reform Legal Aid, Seventh Report (Session 2013–14), HC 766 and HL 100, Joint Select Committee on Human Rights, TSO
Links: Report | Coram Children's Legal Centre press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Dec
An audit report said that some departments did not follow government evaluation requirements and few had plans in place to evaluate all of their major projects. It said that the fitness for purpose of evaluations was variable, that impact assessments rarely included relevant learning from evaluation evidence, and that the examined spending review documents showed little use of such evidence. The report made recommendations.
Source: Evaluation in Government, National Audit Office
Links: Report | LSE review | DBIS response
Date: 2013-Dec
An article examined how perceptions of government quality – in terms of impartiality and efficiency – affected attitudes to taxes and social spending in Europe. The quality of government was found to have a clear, independent effect on attitudes to taxes and spending, so that people who perceived institutions as efficient and fair wanted higher taxes and spending. But government quality also conditioned the impact of egalitarianism on attitudes to taxes and spending: where government quality was perceived as high, egalitarianism had a clearly stronger impact on these attitudes.
Source: Stefan Svallfors, 'Government quality, egalitarianism, and attitudes to taxes and social spending: a European comparison', European Political Science Review, Volume 5 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
An article said that the toolbox of governments increasingly resembled a set of informational cues and prompts. Governments and other public sector organizations realized that traditional tools, such as law and finance, need a supportive informational context to be effective. Recent developments showed that the distinction between 'nudge-like' interventions and the traditional policy instruments could not be sustained. These informational resources had increased the capacity of government and they could help alleviate the problems of top-down forms of intervention. An informational focus could enhance more traditional forms of intervention.
Source: Peter John, 'All tools are informational now: how information and persuasion define the tools of government', Policy & Politics, Volume 41 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
A report examined the accountability of permanent secretaries in the United Kingdom civil service, and their relationship to secretaries of state. It said that many departments were well run, with good relationships between parties, but the existing system of accountability within Whitehall was opaque, with a lack of clarity around relative responsibilities and accountabilities. The report made proposals for reform.
Source: Akash Paun and Josh Harris, Accountability at the Top: Supporting effective leadership in Whitehall, Institute for Government
Links: Report | IFG press release
Date: 2013-Dec
The government published the draft Wales Bill, for pre-legislative scrutiny. The Bill would: enable the Welsh Assembly to legislate on devolved taxation and provide for a referendum in Wales on whether an element of income tax should be devolved; allow the Assembly to set a Welsh rate of income tax; extend, and create new, borrowing powers; extend Assembly terms to five years; and amend rules governing candidates in Assembly elections and Welsh Assembly members.
Source: Draft Wales Bill, Cm 8773, Wales Office, TSO
Links: Draft Bill | Wales Office press release | Welsh Government press release
Date: 2013-Dec
The government published its G8 Open Data Charter Action Plan.
Source: G8 Open Data Charter Action Plan, Cabinet Office
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report by a committee of MPs said that the existing European Committee system should be enhanced, made recommendations about scheduling and conduct of debates in the House of Commons, and suggested the creation of a new session of 'EU Questions'. It said that the United Kingdom should introduce a form of national veto over European Union legislative proposals, and then explore the 'disapplication' of parts of the existing European Union obligations.
Source: Reforming the European Scrutiny System in the House of Commons, Twenty-fourth Report (Session 2013–14), HC 109-I, House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee, TSO
Links: Report Vol I | Report Vol II | Report Vol III
Date: 2013-Nov
A public Bill was published, designed to enable 'supremacy of the sovereignty' of the United Kingdom parliament in relation to its membership of the European Union. The bill would enable the 'disapplication' of parts of the United Kingdom's obligations under European Union legislation, as discussed by the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee.
Source: United Kingdom Parliament (Sovereignty) Bill, TSO
Links: Bill
Date: 2013-Nov
The watchdog for standards in public life said that measures were urgently required: to improve openness and transparency around lobbying; to provide greater clarity about expected standards; and to reassure the public that lobbyists would apply a more ethical approach to lobbying.
Source: Strengthening Transparency Around Lobbying, Committee on Standards in Public Life
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Nov
The government published a report for a joint committee of MPs and peers on responding to human rights judgments.
Source: Responding to Human Rights Judgments: Report to the Joint Committee on Human Rights on the government response to human rights judgments 2012 13, Cm 8727, Ministry of Justice, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Nov
The elections watchdog said that the wording of the question for the referendum on membership of the European Union, as proposed in the European Union (Referendum) Bill, should be amended to improve clarity and understanding. The Commission had not been able to identify a single preferred alternative question wording, but said that wordings using 'Yes' and 'No' as response options would not resolve the complex issues raised during their inquiry. Any amendment to response options would require further examination by the commission.
Source: Referendum on the United Kingdom s Membership of the European Union: Advice of the Electoral Commission on the referendum question included in the European Union (Referendum) Bill, Electoral Commission
Links: Report | Research paper | Electoral Commission press release
Date: 2013-Nov
A report by a committee of peers examined the revision of the government's principles governing consultation. It raised concerns about the minimum consultation period, the timing of consultations, and the timing of the publication of consultation responses. The report concluded that too little progress had been made, and that the committee would continue to monitor the issue alongside its scrutiny of secondary legislation.
Source: The Government s Review of Consultation Principles, 17th Report (Session 2013–14), HL 75, House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Nov
A special issue of a journal examined economic development in the United Kingdom under the coalition government.
Source: Local Economy, Volume 28 Number 7-8
Links: Table of contents
Notes: Articles included:
James Rees and Alex Lord, 'Making space: putting politics back where it belongs in the construction of city regions in the North of England'
Iain Deas, Stephen Hincks, and Nicola Headlam, 'Explicitly permissive? Understanding actor interrelationships in the governance of economic development: the experience of England s Local Enterprise Partnerships'
David Waite, Duncan Maclennan, and Tony O Sullivan, 'Emerging city policies: devolution, deals and disorder'
Allan Cochrane, Bob Colenutt, and Martin Field, 'Developing a sub-regional growth strategy: reflections on recent English experience'
Sarah Ayres and Graham Pearce, 'A Whitehall perspective on decentralisation in England s emerging territories'
Kevin Broughton, Nigel Berkeley, and David Jarvis, 'Where next for neighbourhood regeneration in England? Two years on'
Mike Chadwick, Peter Tyler, and Colin Warnock, 'How to raise the bar on impact evaluation: challenges for the evaluation of local enterprise partnerships and the regional growth fund in times of austerity'
Lee Pugalis and Gill Bentley, 'Storming or performing? Local Enterprise Partnerships two years on'
Date: 2013-Nov
A report by a committee of peers questioned whether reducing the cap on third party expenditure at general elections was justified, given the fundamental constitutional right to freedom of political expression. The committee noted concerns about the degree of consultation on the proposals and the impact of the Bill on campaigns for the devolved assemblies. The committee also raised questions about the definition of lobbying in the Bill and encouraged the House of Lords to consider whether this definition was appropriate.
Source: Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill, Third Report (Session 2013-14), HL 62, House of Lords Constitution Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A royal charter on self-regulation of the press was granted.
Source: Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press, Privy Council
Links: Order | Charter | Explanatory note | DCMS press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Oct
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that there was a lack of clarity around Part II of the Bill (relating to campaigning). The committee recommended that the passage of the Bill should be paused so that further consultation and clarification could be achieved.
Source: Legislative Scrutiny: Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill, Fifth Report (Session 2013-14), HC 755 and HL 61, Joint Select Committee on Human Rights, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
A briefing paper examined the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill. It summarized the key provisions, background, and proceedings in the House of Commons.
Source: Maxine James, Nicola Newson, and Sarah Tudor, Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill (HL Bill 50 of 2013-4), Standard Note LLN 2013/028, House of Lords Library
Links: Briefing paper
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined the implications of Part 2 of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill. The report was the outcome of consultation across a wide range of key stakeholders who were not otherwise consulted by government. Key recommendations included: that government should pause Part 2 of the Bill to allow for further consultation and consideration; otherwise, changes should be made to Part 2 of the Bill to limit the anticipated impact on the democratic engagement of civil society, with further regulatory changes beyond 2015.
Source: Non-Party Campaigning Ahead of Elections: Consultation and recommendations relating to Part 2 of the Transparency in Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning, and Trade Union Administration Bill, Commission on Civil Society and Democratic Engagement
Links: Report | Third Sector report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Oct
A government report set out an action plan for working towards the goals of the Open Government Partnership.
Source: Open Government Partnership UK National Action Plan 2013 to 2015, Cabinet Office
Links: Report | Cabinet Office press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A government department published a communications plan for 2013-14.
Source: Government Communications Plan 2013/14, Cabinet Office
Links: Report | Cabinet Office press release
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined the report of the Commission on the Consequences of Devolution for the House of Commons (the McKay Commission).
Source: Iain McLean, 'Report of the Commission on the Consequences of Devolution for the House of Commons', Political Quarterly, Volume 84 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
A new book examined the history of bad government decisions, and why the political system was so prone to generating them.
Source: Anthony King and Ivor Crewe, The Blunders of Our Governments, Oneworld Books
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Sep
A think-tank report said that the United Kingdom should renegotiate its relationship with the European Union (in advance of a referendum on membership), including seeking to repatriate powers over employment and social regulation.
Source: Glyn Gaskarth, EU Renegotiation: Fighting for a Flexible Union – How to renegotiate the terms of the UK's membership of the EU, Civitas
Links: Report | Civitas press release | TUC blog post | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Sep
A report by a committee of MPs said that parts of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill were 'seriously flawed'. This reflected the fact that the Bill had been introduced without adequate consultation with those affected by it, and without the proper involvement of Parliament. The Bill would do little, if anything, to affect the circumstances that had led to all parties supporting legislation. This would disappoint the public and reduce further their trust in politics.
Source: The Government's Lobbying Bill, Seventh Report (Session 2013-14), HC 601, House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Oral evidence | Additional written evidence
Date: 2013-Sep
The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill was given a second reading. The Bill was designed to introduce a statutory register of consultant lobbyists and establish a Registrar to enforce the registration requirements. Election campaign spending by those not standing for election or registered as political parties would be more heavily regulated. The legal requirements placed on trade unions in relation to their obligation to keep their list of members up to date would be strengthened. A report by a committee of MPs described the the approach taken by the government to drafting the definition of consultant lobbying as 'unsatisfactory'.
Source: Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill, Cabinet Office, TSO | Debate 3 September 2013, columns 169-276, House of Commons Hansard, TSO | The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill, First Report (Session 2013-14), HC 638, House of Commons Committee on Standards, TSO
Links:
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Impact assessment (TU membership) | HOC research brief | Hansard | MPs report | CPS press release | DRC press release | Green Party press release | NAVCA press release | OpenDemocracy press release | Oxfam press release | Christian Institute report | Charity Times report | Daily Mail report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | New Statesman report
Date: 2013-Sep
A new book examined how public policy was made and managed. It synthesized the key theories, describing how public policy-making related to the private and other sectors.
Source: Karen Johnston Miller and Duncan McTavish, Making and Managing Public Policy, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Sep
A report by a committee of MPs said that the government should produce a 5-year rolling Spending Review, aligned to the 5-year fixed-term parliament. Greater clarity on spending would reduce 'short-termism' in policy planning and delivery.
Source: The Role and Powers of the Prime Minister: The impact of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 on government, Fourth Report (Session 2013-14), HC 440, House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Written evidence | Committee press release | IFG press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Jul
The coalition government published the first six reports arising from a review of the 'balance of competences' between the United Kingdom and European Union. The reports included those relating to health issues and taxation.
Source: Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Health, Department of Health | Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Taxation, HM Treasury
Links: Health report | Taxation report | Cabinet Office press release | HMT press release | CBI press release | Civitas blog post | BBC report | Daily Mail report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jul
A report by a committee of MPs called for greater public engagement in policy-making, with public opinion, ideas, and contributions sought and welcomed at all stages of the policy cycle.
Source: Public Engagement in Policy-Making, Second Report (Session 2013-14), HC 75, House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Jun
A report by a committee of MPs said that insights into the views and values of the public offered by deliberative polling would make an important contribution to developing national strategy.
Source: Engaging the Public in National Strategy, Fourth Report (Session 2013–14), HC 435, House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release
Notes: Deliberative polling works by repeatedly asking sets of respondents the same questions on a particular issue. Before the set of questions is posed again, participants are presented with additional information and alternative arguments about the issue.
Date: 2013-Jun
An official report said that parliamentary legislation was excessively complex, and called for regulations to be made easier to understand by non-specialists.
Source: When Laws Become Too Complex, Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (Cabinet Office)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Apr
A think-tank report examined attempts to promote a 'civil dialogue' between the European Union and the general public. It said that instead of being consulted directly, people had been 'ventriloquized' through 'sock puppet' charities, think tanks, and other civil society groups that were selected and financed by the European Commission. These organizations typically lobbied for closer European integration, bigger EU budgets, and more EU regulation.
Source: Christopher Snowdon, Euro Puppets: The European Commission's remaking of civil society, Institute of Economic Affairs
Date: 2013-Mar
An article identified three levels of transposition outcomes for European Union Directives: conformable, partially conformable, and non-conformable. Preference-related factors, in particular the disagreement of a member state and the Commission regarding a Directive's outcome, played a much more strategic role than had to date been acknowledged. Whereas disagreement by a member state delayed conformable transposition, it speeded up non-conformable transposition. Disagreement by the Commission only prolonged the transposition process. A stronger focus on an effective sanctioning mechanism was warranted for safeguarding compliance with Directives.
Source: Thomas Konig and Lars Mader, 'Non-conformable, partial and conformable transposition: a competing risk analysis of the transposition process of directives in the EU15', European Union Politics, Volume 14 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
A think-tank report examined civil service reform, based on interviews with ministers in the coalition government, ministers in the previous administration, existing non-executive directors, existing and former officials, and special advisers. The interviews identified three structural causes of the inadequate performance of Whitehall departments: a style of employment and career planning that rotated people between roles too frequently; a failure to act on performance, whether to penalize poor performance or reward the good; and an absence of will and experience on the part of ministers to drive change in Whitehall.
Source: Andrew Haldenby, Tara Majumdar, and Greg Rosen, Whitehall Reform: The view from the inside, Reform
Links: Report | Summary | BBC report
Date: 2013-Feb
A paper examined the development of a crucial component of the European Union's social open method of co-ordination (OMC) – its benchmarking toolbox. It considered how benchmarking actually worked through each of its elements, including stakeholder networks, peer reviews, and joint reports. The social OMC's learning tools were more dynamic and diversified than was usually acknowledged.
Source: Peter Lelie and Bart Vanhercke, Inside the Social OMC s Learning Tools: How 'benchmarking social Europe' really worked, Opinion Paper 10, European Social Observatory (Brussels)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined which European Union-level characteristics of the open method of co-ordination (OMC) were most likely to result in pressure on national governments to reconsider their policies as a result of OMC-related parliamentary activities and media coverage (drawing on evidence from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands). The findings indicated that, when an OMC was adopted in a policy field without any other type of EU-level activity already present, or did not include indicators/benchmarks or peer learning activities, the OMC would not increase the pressure on a national government.
Source: Rik de Ruiter, 'Full disclosure? The open method of coordination, parliamentary debates and media coverage', European Union Politics, Volume 14 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Notes: The open method of coordination (OMC) is an intergovernmental means of governance in the European Union, based on the voluntary co-operation of member states rather than the application of legislative measures.
Date: 2013-Feb
The government responded to a critical report by a committee of peers on changes to official consultation procedures. It said that the issues raised would be referred to an independent review panel.
Source: The Government's New Approach to Consultation: Government Response, 29th Report (Session 2012–13), HL 124, House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, TSO
Links: Response
Notes: Peers report (January 2013)
Date: 2013-Feb
A new book examined institutional changes, welfare reforms, and transformations in governance in the United Kingdom and Italy over the previous three decades. Although it had been widely expected that the arena of social and economic governance would shift to the national level, both the countries had seen the sub-national level of governance became crucial in redefining public services, and in designing, delivering, and monitoring key services.
Source: Alberto Brugnoli and Alessandro Colombo (eds), Government, Governance and Welfare Reform: Structural changes and subsidiarity in Italy and Britain, Edward Elgar Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jan
The coalition government published a progress report on the implementation of its programme for government. It confirmed support for a cap on adult social care costs, and for a single-tier state pension that merged the basic and second state pensions. Two days later it published (with no press release) an 'update' report giving detailed information on progress in implementing all the policy commitments made in the 2010 coalition agreement: an independent think-tank said the report omitted or glossed over a series of policy changes or failures, and called for an independent audit.
Source: The Coalition: Together in the National Interest – Mid-Term Review, Cabinet Office | The Coalition: Together in the National Interest – Mid-Term Review – Programme for Government Update, Cabinet Office | Press release 9 January 2013, Institute for Government
Links: Report | Update report | Hansard | Conservative Party press release | ATL press release | CBI press release | CIH press release | FPI press release | IOG press release | NHS Confederation press release | Labour Party press release (1) | Labour Party press release (2) | Labour Party briefing | Localis press release | RCN press release | Community Care report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Guardian report (3) | Guardian report (4) | Public Finance report | Telegraph report (1) | Telegraph report (2)
Date: 2013-Jan
A report by a committee of peers said that the new consultation principles introduced by the coalition government in July 2012 carried a risk that the resulting statute would be less robust, because 'rushed' consultation processes made it too difficult for external interests to provide expert critique at the right time. It called on the government to recognize that the principles were failing to provide the consistency and transparency that others looked for in consultation exercises. The government should launch an independent, external review of their new approach to consultation without delay.
Source: The Government's New Approach to Consultation – 'Work in Progress', 22nd Report (Session 2012–13), HL 100, House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jan