HC Deb 17 March 1999 vol 327 cc1106-7
3. Mr. Andrew Robathan (Blaby)

What recent representations he has received concerning the forthcoming White Paper on the modernisation of government. [75358]

The Minister for the Cabinet Office (Dr. Jack Cunningham)

I have most recently had meetings with the Council of Civil Service Unions, the Consumers Association and the National Consumer Council.

Mr. Robathan

We have been waiting for that White Paper for some time. What is the real desire for so-called modernisation?

Mr. Desmond Swayne (New Forest, West)

I can tell my hon. Friend.

Mr. Robathan

I thank my hon. Friend.

There is a lot of talk about "modernising Britain", but what exactly does the Minister mean by that? Although we certainly appreciate that the civil service should be "joined up"—to use the terminology of the day—how will the establishment of regional development agencies impact on his own civil servants? No one has ever written to me about regional development agencies. Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will tell us how many of his own constituents have written to him in the past 20 years asking for such agencies.

Dr. Cunningham

I am not sure whether the hon. Gentleman's question was on modernising government, or merely a little ramble. He will not have to wait very much longer for us to publish the White Paper; then he will see the answers for himself.

Mr. John Healey (Wentworth)

Is my right hon. Friend aware that there are RATs in the Rotherham council housing and council tax benefits office? Remote access terminals were installed last month and paid for by central Government, allowing council officers to track pensioners entitled to income support regardless of whether they claim support at the Benefits Agency. Does he agree that the next logical step would be to enable those council officers not only to monitor the progress of claims at the Benefits Agency, but to complete income support claims on behalf of those pensioners? Will he give some assurance that the White Paper on modernising government will consider exactly that type of joined-up government service delivery?

Dr. Cunningham

Yes, it will.

Sir George Young (North-West Hampshire)

Are not the Government's claims to be a modern and effective Administration somewhat undermined by the repeated delays in publishing the White Paper on better government, which is now over a year late? Will he assure us that the wait will have been worth while? If one of the White Paper's themes is to be joined-up government and a more coherent approach to the needs of the individual, will that approach not be injured by devolution, and indeed by regional government, leading to the fragmentation of both policy and service provision—with different policies and different approaches at different levels? Will the Government's ill-thought-out constitutional provisions not pull in the opposite direction to better government?

Dr. Cunningham

It is difficult to know where the Opposition stand on devolution. I thought that the Conservative party in Scotland had now accepted that devolution was a reality, and that it would work for success in the Scottish Parliament. The right hon. Gentleman really should make it clear where he stands. Apparently, he has taken a different view on the issue from that of the Leader of the Opposition; but that is not new for Opposition Front Benchers, as so many of his colleagues take a different view.

The White Paper will be published soon. As the right hon. Gentleman says, it will be about making life better for people, not about the convenience of civil servants or making life easier for Ministers. Regional development agencies are about joining up government, not about dislocating it.