§ The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Douglas Alexander)The last few years have seen a rapid expansion in the scope and depth of inspection and external review. In December 2001, the Public Services Productivity Panel published its report on the Role of External Review in Improving Performance and called for further work into the focus and impact of inspection and external review. I have today publishedInspecting for improvement: developing a customer focused approach, the report of this further study, which was carried out by the Office of Public Services Reform in close co-operation with the Treasury.
The report concludes that inspection and external review play an important role in providing assurance on the delivery of national standards and in holding organisations to account for their performance. Inspection should also act as a catalyst for change and service improvement.
The report recommends that the Government should set out its policy for inspection and external review. I am publishing the policy today. Key principles underpinning it are the pursuit of service improvement, a focus on outcomes and taking a user perspective, inspection in proportion to risk, collaboration and joint working between inspectorates, openness and reporting in public, continually learning from experience and improving value for money and effectiveness.
The report also recommends that the Government should establish a mechanism for ensuring better strategic direction of inspection activity. On 3 July, the Prime Minister announced a new sub-committee of Cabinet for this purpose. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury will chair it.
The report makes a number of recommendations for departments and inspectorates. Departments should take the lead in managing inspection and external review in their areas, clarifying roles, responsibilities and priorities, setting standards and requiring and facilitating collaboration between inspectorates. Inspectorates should operate within the Government's strategic framework for inspection and external review, providing advice to departments on improving service delivery, working with other inspectorates and gauging their impact and cost effectiveness.
I have arranged for copies of the report and the policy to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.