Civil Service People Survey

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 1 Jul 2022 Closed: 29 Apr 2024 Parliament page
Every year, Civil Servants across more than 100 Government Departments, bodies, agencies etc. are surveyed in the annual ‘People Survey’ on a range of topics, including employee engagement, wellbeing, remuneration and career prospects, bullying and harassment, and more. This inquiry will examine how the data is used by the Cabinet … Read more
12 Recommendations
5 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
3 Letters
4 Events
Activity timeline 13 events
18 Jan
2024
Report published
24 Oct
2023
Report published
4 Jul
2023
Correspondence
14 Jun
2023
Correspondence
18 May
2023
Oral evidence
18 May
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
18 Apr
2023
Correspondence
7 Mar
2023
Oral evidence
7 Mar
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
20 Oct
2022
Oral evidence
20 Oct
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
13 Sep
2022
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
18 May 2023
View on parliament.uk
Civil Service People Survey
Alex Chisholm · Cabinet Office Dr Claudia Roscini · Cabinet Office Fiona Ryland · Cabinet Office
7 Mar 2023
View on parliament.uk
Civil Service People Survey
Alex Thomas · Institute for Government Amy Leversidge · The FDA Trade Union John Moloney · Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) Rhys Clyne · Institute for Government
20 Oct 2022
View on parliament.uk
Civil Service People Survey
Peter Lynn · Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex Sarah Henry · Office for National Statistics
13 Sep 2022
View on parliament.uk
Civil Service People Survey
Peter Lynn · Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex Sarah Henry · Office for National Statistics
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Survey HC 575 24 Oct 2023 17 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
Clear
8 Conclusion Rejected
Ninth Report - Civil Service Peopl…
Current delays in People Survey data publication are indefensible and lack transparency.
It is not clear to us that withholding People Survey data, so as to time its release with countless publications about Ministerial gifts, hospitality and expenses, is truly a transparent, or helpful, approach to the publication of the important data … Read more
Government Response
The Cabinet Office does not accept the implied recommendation to change its publication timing, despite the committee's strong criticism of current delays. It commits to reducing the timing between internal and external distribution and will explore including release dates in the Research and Statistics calendar.
View details
9 Recommendation Rejected
Ninth Report - Civil Service Peopl…
Publish initial People Survey results when distributed, before end of calendar year.
We recommend that in future, initial results from the People Survey (including median scores for each question for both the civil service, and individual participating organisations) be published at the point they are distributed to participants, and before the end … Read more
Government Response
The Cabinet Office does not accept the recommendation to publish initial People Survey results at the point of distribution and before year-end. However, it commits to reducing the timing between internal and external distribution and will explore including release dates in the Research and Statistics calendar.
View details
10 Conclusion Rejected
Ninth Report - Civil Service Peopl…
People Survey is an invaluable and unique barometer for Civil Service sentiment and scrutiny.
When first established, the People Survey was envisioned as a management tool to support public bodies in gauging and promoting employee engagement. But the high-quality data it has generated - a result of excellent work by government statisticians, particularly in … Read more
Government Response
The Cabinet Office does not accept the committee's conclusion regarding the People Survey's broader value for scrutiny, reiterating that it is primarily a management tool. It commits to publishing a commentary and reducing timing between internal and external distribution of findings.
View details
11 Recommendation Rejected
Ninth Report - Civil Service Peopl…
Classify People Survey results as official statistics, complying with Code of Practice.
The People Survey is a dataset of significant public interest. In future, the People Survey results should be treated and classified as official statistics and be published in full compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The Cabinet Office … Read more
Government Response
The Cabinet Office does not accept the recommendation to classify People Survey results as official statistics, arguing it is primarily a management tool. It commits to publishing high-level findings commentary and reducing timing between internal and external distribution, which is not the core of this recommendation.
View details
12 Conclusion Rejected
Ninth Report - Civil Service Peopl…
Lack of robust evidence on People Survey's impact in driving Civil Service change.
For over a decade, a majority of civil servants have been telling their leaders that they do not believe effective action is taken on the back of People Surveys. External users of the data share these concerns. Given that the … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees with the overall statement that effective action is not taken from the People Survey, highlighting existing support for departments in analysing results and providing tools for action plans.
View details
14 Recommendation Rejected
Ninth Report - Civil Service Peopl…
Require departments to develop, report, and evaluate People Survey action plans in Annual Reports.
Departments themselves should develop action plans in response to future People Survey results, which define measurable and timely interventions. These action plans should be included in departmental Annual Reports and Accounts each year. Departments should also evaluate their success in … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees with the premise that effective action is not taken, stating that departmental communication and action vary. While the Cabinet Office supports departments with tools for action plans, the government does not commit to mandating their inclusion, along with evaluations, in departmental Annual Reports and Accounts.
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 17 of 12 classified
Accepted 10
Accepted in Part 1
Rejected 6
Total 12 recs + 5 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
4 Jul 2023 To committee Letter from Alex Chisholm, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary on publication of 2022 Civil Service People Survey Demographic Results, dated 29.6.23
Parliament page
14 Jun 2023 To committee Letter from Alex Chisholm, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary on Civil Service People Survey follow up, dated 30.5.23
Parliament page
18 Apr 2023 To committee Letter from Alex Chisholm, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary on Civil Service People Survey Data 2022, dated 30.3.23
Parliament page