The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee has launched a new inquiry, looking at the delivery and impact of mission-led government.
The government has set itself five “missions” – growing the economy, an NHS fit for the future, safer streets, opportunity for all, and making Britain a clean energy superpower – as part of its ambition for a mission-driven administration.
Each mission has measurable milestones, including raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom, ending hospital backlogs, and building 1.5 million homes in England.
The inquiry will examine the extent to which departments and public bodies are equipped to achieve these missions, including how effectively they are set up to work on cross-cutting policy areas.
The committee will also investigate how delivery of the missions is likely to be funded in a context of tight public finances.
Simon Hoare, chair of PACAC, said the success of the missions “will rely on effective cross-departmental working and a culture which encourages civil servants to take risks and learn”.
He said failure to do this will result in this government having “a legacy of broken promises”.
“All good governments set themselves ambitious, achievable tasks which push the capabilities of their ministers and civil servants,” Hoare said.
“This government has staked its reputation on delivering the missions but, as with all governments, they will have to find a way to pull the right levers in departments. By putting catchy sloganeering to one side, this committee intends to shine a light on how these will actually be delivered in practice. “
The cabinet secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, told the committee last week that mission-led government is, for him, about having a “problem solving” mentality and that the missions approach would break down siloes. PACAC said, however, that there “so far been little structural change to bring this to fruition”.
As part of the inquiry, MPs will also explore the impact of the "test and learn" approach announced by Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden in December, and how the government plans to encourage this process.
The committee is inviting written evidence answering any of the following questions:
- What are the key components of mission government? What changes have been made to the operation of government to facilitate mission government and are these sufficient to successively deliver it? Is enough being done to ensure consistent prioritisation of missions across departments? How are they being held to account for progress? Is a change to the way money is allocated needed to ensure sufficient priority is given to the missions?
- What measures are being used to mobilise other devolved governments, public bodies, local government, and the private and voluntary sectors in delivering missions and are these sufficient?
- The government has advocated a "test and learn" approach to policy as part of its missions approach. What is being done to encourage this and what are the potential obstacles to its successful adoption?
- What lessons can be learnt from other jurisdictions’ experience with mission approaches to governing?
The deadline for submitting evidence is 14 April. Submissions can be made here.
The committee said the inquiry will be the first in a series looking at the various challenges which face the civil service when trying to deliver the government’s agenda at a time of varied domestic and global pressures.
“This inquiry is the first part of a broader piece of work on how the civil service will deliver the ‘change’ so often quoted by senior ministers,” Hoare said. “If we are to take these claims seriously, it’s important to understand how civil servants will be mobilised in this work.”