1. Summary
1.1 The establishment of a new statutory body known as the Office for Administrative Responsibility (OAR) which will support government in adhering to the highest standards of administration and, thereby, achieve improved implementation of policy.
2. Purpose
2.1This proposal is modelled on the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR was established as an independent arbiter of fiscal management. The Office for Administrative Responsibility (OAR) would be an independent arbiter of Administrative responsibility and capability. It will be a Non-Departmental Public Body established by legislation reporting to the Cabinet Secretary and Prime Minister. The OAR will have the following functions:
1. To produce a set of national standards for the administration of government initiatives and programmes, which will be required under legislation and approved by parliament
2. Any major initiatives with a one-off or annual cost of more than £100 million will require OAB sign-off before implementation
3. Ministerial submissions proposing new initiatives will have a section assessing compliance with the national standards written by the Department but agreed with the OAR
4. Provide parliament with an annual report on compliance with the national standards
5. Together with the National Audit Office review major initiatives/programmes that are deemed to have failed and identify learning
6. The legislation will tie in other statutory and non-statutory documents and processes to support the OBR – such as the Nolan Principles, Civil Service Code, the Ministerial Code, to ensure coherence across government
2.2 The legislation will create a new legal duty on Ministers and Civil Servants to have regard for the National Standards set by the OAR. National standards would cover such things as:
• Setting realistic, achievable objectives
• Contingency planning
• Programme management to ensure capacity is monitored and managed across all programmes and services
• Accountability arrangements
• Process mapping
• Identifying and measuring benefits
• Resource planning- money, people, buildings, technology
• Monitoring and correction arrangements
• Decision making arrangements
• Review and evaluation
• Learning lessons
• Values
• Documentation
• Links to other processes – e.g., Prince 2, ISO 9002
2.3 The National Standards will be simple and easy to apply. They will need to be intelligible, for example, to a first-time junior Minister. Ideally, grouped under 5 or 6 subject areas underpinned with more specific standards and checklists. For example:
DECISION MAKING e.g. Ensure right people are on the project or management board
RESOURCING e.g. Ensure implementation team has sufficient people and the right skills
ACCOUNTABILITY e.g. Lead managers report progress on milestones and targets on a regular basis
CORRECTIVE ACTION e.g. Steering Group/project board allocates actions and timescales for missed targets or milestones
MONITORING AND REVIEW e.g. Regular “traffic light” reports on targets and milestones reported to senior management teams
2.4 The National Standards will apply to both new initiatives and existing services. In its annual report, the OAR will provide each government department with a rating in terms of compliance with the national standards. The aim of the OAR is not to stifle political ambition, but to better facilitate it. However, this may mean the government can do less (but better) and possibly more slowly, but will help prevent policy failures or shortfalls in government initiatives.
3.Structure
3.1Primary legislation will establish that the OAR has complete discretion to:
• Set its own methodology
• Make judgements
• Draft the contents of the annual report
• Set its work programme
3.2 There will be a Chief Executive/Accountable Officer and no more than 30 permanent members of staff directed by an appointed board of independent members whose role is to:
• Ensure that effective arrangements are in place to deliver the work programme
• Approve the work programme
• Approve the annual report
• Review the work of the OAR
3.3 The OAR will also be supported by an Advisory Panel of experts including ex-ministers, serving ministers, ex- civil servants, serving civil servants and academics. The Advisory Panel will:
• Support the initial set-up of the Office
• Advise on the work programme
• Analyse the methods used by the office
4. Conclusion
This proposal is based on the premise that a failure in administration is often the cause of failures in policy implementation. The proposed Office for Administrative Responsibility aims to ensure that adequate administrative arrangements are in place from the start of any initiative or new service. By making adherence to National Standards a statutory requirement – policed by an independent body – ministers and senior civil servants will resist the temptation to rush implementation or gloss over practical stumbling blocks. Rather than fail to deliver, take time, do it properly and get it right!
626-11