Resetting government programmes

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 29 Mar 2023 Closed: 18 Nov 2023 Parliament page
Both the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee have examined a number of government programmes which have needed a “reset” for various reasons. The Committee will question two panels of witnesses on programmes that have required resets for any reason such as a reset to what the programme is … Read more
6 Recommendations
19 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Event
Activity timeline 4 events
18 Nov
2023
Report published
15 Sep
2023
Report published
5 Jun
2023
Oral evidence
5 Jun
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
5 Jun 2023
View on parliament.uk
Resetting Programmes
Conrad Smewing · HM Treasury Dr David Marsh · Ministry of Defence Jim Barton · HM Prisons and Probation Service Matthew Lodge · Department for Transport Neil Couling CBE · Department of Work and Pensions Nick Smallwood · Infrastructure and Projects Authority
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Seventy-First Report - Resetting government programmes HC 1233 15 Sep 2023 25 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
2 results
Clear
8 Conclusion Accepted in Part
Seventy-First Report - Resetting g…
Negative perceptions of programme resets deter early problem reporting and resolution.
SROs described how it would be helpful if resets were seen more positively, which HM Treasury suggested government was moving towards.18 They also commented that resets can be seen as a failure and can be a traumatic event for programme … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the observation and states that the IPA already fosters a culture of continuous learning and psychological safety through courses. The IPA will also review how it can further enhance transparency across government programs by June 2024 to encourage open and honest working environments.
HM Treasury
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13 Conclusion Accepted in Part
Seventy-First Report - Resetting g…
Lack of an open environment hinders timely problem reporting and identification of reset needs.
Without the right environment, individuals may be afraid to report problems in a timely and honest way, which makes it harder to identify the need for a reset and the issues a reset should address.41 We heard from the SRO … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the observation, noting the IPA already promotes a culture of psychological safety and learning through courses. The IPA will also review by June 2024 how to further improve transparency in government programs to encourage open and honest reporting of issues.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 25 of 6 classified
Accepted 17
Accepted in Part 2
Acknowledged 4
Not Addressed 2
Total 6 recs + 19 conclusions