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Civil Service and ministers in denial, say MPs Lack of trust damaging accountability in Whitehall, say MPs
(about 9 hours later)
Civil servants and politicians are both living in a state of "denial" because of confusion over who is to blame when things go wrong, MPs have said. Trust between civil servants and politicians is "breaking down", resulting in a lack of accountability when things go wrong, MPs have said.
The Commons Public Administration Committee found tensions over projects were "all too evident" and called for a full parliamentary commission into the workings of the system. The Public Administration Committee found tensions over projects were "all too evident" and called for a root-and-branch review of the civil service.
Previous reforms had been too "piecemeal," it added in a report. Its chair Bernard Jenkin said ministers too often had to "micromanage" projects due to a lack of necessary skills.
But the government said it was "proud" of changes it had made. Unions said changes were needed but warned against a "blame game".
And the senior civil servants' union said its members, not just parliamentarians, should be consulted on the alterations needed, The committee's report comes in the wake of criticism of the handling of the government flagship welfare reform, Universal Credit, and the leadership shown by civil servants.
The committee found a "blame culture" had developed in Whitehall over recent years, with ministers and civil servants unwilling to take responsibility for failures. 'Periodic disasters'
The report said: "There is a fundamental question about why ministers feel some civil servants are resistant to what they want and this question has not been considered in any systematic way. The MPs found a "blame culture" had developed in Whitehall over recent years, with ministers and civil servants unwilling to take responsibility for failures, such as the West Coast Mainline franchise debacle or in defence procurement and immigration.
"Failing organisations demonstrate common characteristics, such as a lack of openness and trust, which are very evident in some departments and agencies.""Failing organisations demonstrate common characteristics, such as a lack of openness and trust, which are very evident in some departments and agencies."
'Truth to power'
It added: "We remain unconvinced that the government has developed the analysis, policies and leadership to address these problems. We have found that both ministers and senior civil servants are still somewhat in denial about their respective accountabilities.It added: "We remain unconvinced that the government has developed the analysis, policies and leadership to address these problems. We have found that both ministers and senior civil servants are still somewhat in denial about their respective accountabilities.
"The present atmosphere promotes the filtering of honest and complete assessments to ministers and is the antithesis of 'truth to power'. It is a denial of responsibility and accountability.
"There is a failure to learn from mistakes and instead a tendency to look for individuals to blame.""There is a failure to learn from mistakes and instead a tendency to look for individuals to blame."
The committee's report said ministers had blamed failures in defence procurement, or the Borders Agency, on officials. The committee recommended the establishment of a parliamentary commission into the Civil Service - reporting before the 2015 general election - to provide a "comprehensive strategic review" of its "nature, role and purpose".
It also questioned the government's plans for ministers to pick staff for their private offices, warning that it could "add to the chaos" in the system. Mr Jenkin said current and former ministers had been forced to "almost manage project themselves" to keep them on track.
The committee recommended the establishment of a parliamentary commission into the Civil Service, to provide a "comprehensive strategic review" of its "nature, role and purpose". "Just imagine you are an official working in an organisation where the secretary of state is saying one thing and the permanent secretary is saying another. Who do you work for, where do your loyalties lie," he told Radio 4's Today programme.
The report suggested the commission of MPs and peers could be set up before the end of the year and report before the end of the current parliament, with the recommendations implemented after the 2015 general election. 'Systemic failures'
'Periodic disasters' The decades-old system of ministerial accountability, where officials are accountable to ministers and ministers are, in turn, answerable to Parliament, had "broken down".
Otherwise, it would "become ever harder to get things done that must be done if our country is to survive and prosper", the report said. "Ministers feel they are being resisted or blocked, officials feel they are being unfairly blamed or scapegoated...An inability to learn from systemic failures is leading to this breakdown of trust between ministers and officials."
The committee's chairman , Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin, said: "Whitehall is a Rolls-Royce machine, but it is sorely in need of modernisation and repair." Dave Penman, general secretary of the First Division Association, which represents senior civil servants, said it was wrong to suggest the civil service was "failing" ministers but acknowledged members face "very different challenges" than they had done in the past.
He added: "Failure to establish a parliamentary commission in this parliament will mean that the periodic disasters and shambles, like the West Coast Main Line and the collapse of the Borders Agency, will increasingly recur." "We have called for a broader review of the civil service to ensure what the government and Parliament expects of the civil service is clear and, if possible, a consensus can be built around that vision," he told the BBC
Dave Penman, general secretary of the First Division Association, which represents senior civil servants, said any proposed commission "should not be restricted to the opinions of parliamentarians alone". "Some of those tensions are the nature of politics. The blame game, from ministers of all parties, is about the nature of politics."
He added: "All stakeholders must have a real opportunity to input their views, to enable a broader analysis and ensure that all aspects and potential outcomes on the future of the Civil Service have been considered."
Peter Riddell, director of the Institute for Government, said the commission would only work "if it concentrates on the longer-term issues of the structure of Whitehall and does not undermine or hold-up current reform efforts".Peter Riddell, director of the Institute for Government, said the commission would only work "if it concentrates on the longer-term issues of the structure of Whitehall and does not undermine or hold-up current reform efforts".
A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "We have the right plan in place and are proud of the steps jointly taken by ministers and civil servants, but we acknowledged in the One Year On report the need to step up the pace in some areas of reform.A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "We have the right plan in place and are proud of the steps jointly taken by ministers and civil servants, but we acknowledged in the One Year On report the need to step up the pace in some areas of reform.
"We published the first ever candid report into government's biggest projects, and last year saved the taxpayer £10bn - £600 for every working household.""We published the first ever candid report into government's biggest projects, and last year saved the taxpayer £10bn - £600 for every working household."