§ 18. Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Focus 5000 group in helping shape Government policy. [133654]
§ Mr. Ian McCartneyI take it that my hon. Friend is referring to the People's Panel. An independent interim evaluation of the Panel was published and referred to on 23 May 2000,Official Report, column 451W. Copies were placed in the Library. The evaluation report concluded that the Panel was a "valuable asset" and had
proved its worth as a vehicle to promote greater understanding, within local and national government, of public views, and of the need to obtain these views.A full evaluation of the effectiveness of the Panel in helping shape Government policy will be carried out early in 2001.