§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to improve the analysis by Government Departments of suggestions from the general public. [93389]
§ Mr. AlexanderThe Government are committed to making use of more diverse methods of involving the public and to engaging a broader range of people. The "Code of Practice on Written Consultation" provides guidance to Departments on written consultations with the public. To help policy-makers improve policy design through undertaking public involvement initiatives, the Cabinet Office has also published "Viewfinder: A Policy Maker's Guide to Public Involvement". Viewfinder is available on the Policy Hub Website www.policyhub.gov.uk. Viewfinder includes examples of good practice, features a wide range of involvement techniques (including e-consultation) and describes how effectively to plan public involvement activities, 853W including analysis and evaluation. It informs policy-makers how to ensure that involvement includes different groups and individuals within society. It also addresses issues such as how to manage high volumes of responses and how to weight responses from different groups.
The Office of Public Services Reform in the Cabinet Office has developed five principles of good customer feedback to guide Departments in consulting on public services.