Second Report: Merging success: Bringing together the FCO and DFID

Select Committee
Foreign Affairs Committee HC 525 23 July 2020
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 16 items (15 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 16 of 16 classified)
Accepted 4
Accepted in Part 4
Acknowledged 2
Deferred 3
Not Addressed 3
Government response
Sixth Special Report: Merging success: Bringing together the FCO and DFID : Government Response to Committee’s Second Report · published 24 Sep 2020
Read the government response ↗ Response on the tracker
Clear

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 results
5 Recommendation Accepted in Part
To integrate the Departments successfully, the new PUS must have the skills and experience necessary...
Recommendation
To integrate the Departments successfully, the new PUS must have the skills and experience necessary to effectively oversee both diplomatic and development projects. Above all else, they must have exceptional knowledge and experience of change management and major project delivery … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states that many of the recommended selection criteria were used for the new Permanent Under-Secretary. However, it rejects the recommendation for pre-appointment hearings for the role, stating it is not appropriate for a Civil Service appointment.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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7 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Para 21
We welcome the Foreign Secretary’s assurance and his pledge to engage with staff throughout this...
Recommendation
We welcome the Foreign Secretary’s assurance and his pledge to engage with staff throughout this process, but clarity on the nature of future roles is needed as soon as possible. We recommend that the Government presents a clear plan to … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government confirms there will be no compulsory redundancies in the new FCDO, and staff who previously would not have met nationality requirements will transfer into their current roles. However, long-term decisions on nationality requirements are deferred pending an ongoing review.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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10 Recommendation Accepted in Part
The merger presents an opportunity for the FCO to learn from DFID’s positive record on...
Recommendation
The merger presents an opportunity for the FCO to learn from DFID’s positive record on transparency, and to be more proactive in publishing details of project expenditure. We recommend that the UK sets ambitious new commitments to aid transparency, to … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government commits to maintaining the Development Tracker tool and consolidating data systems for aid transparency, while stating it anticipates FCDO will be assessed in the next Aid Transparency Index in 2022. It does not explicitly commit to ambitious new transparency commitments or striving for a 'Very Good' score in the FCDO's first year.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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13 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Para 33
The Government has made clear that the intention of the merger is not to save...
Recommendation
The Government has made clear that the intention of the merger is not to save costs but has suggested better value for money is available through it. This could be through reducing administrative costs. We recommend that the Government reports … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the importance of recording and reporting merger costs and savings, stating work has commenced on monitoring short-term costs. They expect to publish figures in the FCDO’s annual report and accounts for 2020–21, but indicate more time is needed to determine a clear picture, implicitly not meeting the requested six-month post-merger timeline.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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