First Report - The role and status of the Prime Minister’s Office
Select Committee
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
HC 67
9 June 2021
Government response
Third Special Report - The role and status of the Prime Minister’s Office: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report · published 21 Sep 2021
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
3
Conclusion
Rejected
Para 41
The Office of the Prime Minister is nominally a business unit of the Cabinet Office.
Conclusion
The Office of the Prime Minister is nominally a business unit of the Cabinet Office. However, it currently it appears to operate with even less transparency than other Cabinet Office business units. The Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts do …
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Government Response Summary
The government explains that narrative sections are not for all business units and that separating the Prime Minister's Office would be misleading due to its integrated relationship with the Cabinet, asserting the current approach is appropriate.
4
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 42
We do not consider the status of the Office of Prime Minister as a business...
Recommendation
We do not consider the status of the Office of Prime Minister as a business unit to be an accurate reflection of the role that it plays. Yet it currently operates with even less transparency that this status suggests. For …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to report on the Prime Minister's Office activities as it does for other business units. It argues that doing so would be misleading and difficult due to the historical and ongoing close relationship and overlapping responsibilities between the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
5
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 43
In its Single Departmental Plan, the objectives of supporting the Prime Minister should be disaggregated...
Recommendation
In its Single Departmental Plan, the objectives of supporting the Prime Minister should be disaggregated from the support provided to the Cabinet or the Government more generally.
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation, stating that disaggregating the Prime Minister's support from the Cabinet's would be misleading and difficult due to their historically close relationship and overlapping responsibilities. They explain that the Annual Report and Accounts do not cover all business units.