Staffing and other support
33. The names and positions of the current staff
of the Committee are listed at the front of this Report. The names
and positions of all staff who worked for the Committee in the
course of Session 2006-07 will be published in the Sessional Return.[74]
In addition to our normal staffing arrangements, we have benefited
in the course of 2007 from two secondments. An economist from
the Department for Work and Pensions was seconded to the staff
of the Committee for six months and an auditor and financial analyst
from the National Audit Office (NAO) served on the Committee staff
for six months at the start of a year-long secondment to the Committee
Office. We have continued to benefit from significant support
from the Scrutiny Unit of the House of Commons, most notably for
the Sub-Committee's examination of expenditure and administration
issues. We are conscious that the sustained high level of activity
of the Committee during recent Parliaments—reflected, for
example, in the publication of 15 Reports in 2007 and the holding
of 55 meetings in that year—has been onerous for our staff.
As a Committee, we will continue vigorously to explore means of
enhancing our staff support.
34. We have also benefited from strengthened relations
with the NAO, who provided assistance with three inquiries. First,
prior to the Sub-Committee's scrutiny session with the Debt Management
Office (DMO), we received a briefing document on the DMO's work
from the NAO, which was published by the NAO in advance of the
session.[75] In addition,
the member of NAO staff who had prepared that document was attached
to the staff of the Committee for a fortnight to advise the Sub-Committee
on the main issues that arose from that document in advance of
the hearing with witnesses from the DMO. Second, in advance of
the Sub-Committee's hearing with HMRC officials and the relevant
Minister on the merger of HM Customs & Excise and Inland Revenue,
the NAO advised us on issues to explore on progress in achieving
the expected benefits of the merger, advice which drew upon an
NAO good practice guide for public sector mergers.[76]
Third, the NAO submitted a memorandum to the Sub-Committee in
advance of its follow-up hearing with the Minister and HMRC and
HM Treasury officials on the administration of tax credits.[77]
Relations with HM Treasury
35. When we last reported on our work, we identified
four areas for improvement in HM Treasury's dealings with the
Committee. The problems we described then relating to the timing
of follow-up by Treasury witnesses to undertakings given in oral
evidence have not recurred.[78]
We have also not been faced with a refusal of requested information
in relation to any of our inquiries completed in 2007 comparable
to that we raised in 2006,[79]
although it is possible that we may return to some issues relating
to the provision of information when we report on Financial Stability
and Transparency. We do, however, have continuing concerns relating
to notice of major announcements and the quality and timing of
some Government responses.
36. Having previously drawn attention to the desirability
of fuller notice of the dates of Budgets and of Pre-Budget Reports,[80]
we were disappointed that only four day's notice was given of
the date of the 2007 Pre-Budget Report and the accompanying Comprehensive
Spending Review announcement. We acknowledged that the circumstances
were exceptional, but trusted that the extremely short period
of notice would not be treated as a precedent for future years.[81]
37. The quality of Government responses to our Reports
remains inconsistent. Some have been constructive. The recommendations
in our Report on travel insurance were largely accepted and are
being acted upon, and the Government responses to our Reports
on financial inclusion have been positive in approach.[82]
However, some other responses have been disappointing, in particular
those on Unclaimed assets within the financial system and
The efficiency programme in the Chancellor's departments.[83]
We are particularly concerned by the Government's habit of re-stating
in a reply a position that was clearly outlined in evidence given
to us or the Sub-Committee during the preceding inquiry and reflected
in our own account of evidence received, without any acknowledgement
that we had done so. This was a particular problem in the Government's
response to our Report on The efficiency programme in the Chancellor's
departments, and the Sub-Committee recently pursued this matter
in oral evidence with the Minister responsible.[84]
We will continue to monitor the quality of Government replies,
and our assessment of that quality will be one factor in determining
our future follow-up activities.
38. In reporting on our work in 2005 and 2006, we
also drew attention to instances where the Government had neither
provided us with a response within two months nor given us a satisfactory
account of the reasons for delay.[85]
This problem has persisted in 2007. The Government response to
our Report published in September on The Monetary Policy Committee
of the Bank of England: ten years on is still awaited, for
example. In future, we will consider making specific recommendations
about the timing of Government responses in our Reports, so that,
at the very least, the Government can explain the reasons for
any delay in its response to our Report.
70 HC (2006-07) 191, paras 38-42 Back
71
HC Deb, 12 December 2007, col 33WS Back
72
See paragraphs 10, 13 and 27. Back
73
HC (2006-07) 406, para 85 Back
74
HC (2007-08) 1 Back
75
National Audit Office, The UK Debt Management Office - Borrowing
on behalf of Government, January 2007 Back
76
HC (2006-07) 192-i, Ev 16-23 Back
77
HC (2006-07) 382-i, Ev 45-57 Back
78
HC (2006-07) 191, para 48 Back
79
Ibid., para 49 Back
80
HC (2006-07) 191, para 47 Back
81
HC (2007-08) 54-I, paras 77-78 Back
82
HC (2006-07) 933; Treasury Committee, Fourth Special Report of
Session 2006-07, Financial inclusion: Government and other
Responses to the Committee's Twelfth and Thirteenth Reports of
Session 2005-06 and the Committee's First Report of Session 2006-07,
HC 437; HC (2007-08) 167 Back
83
Treasury Committee, Eighth Special Report of Session 2006-07,
Unclaimed assets within the financial system: Government Response
to the Committee's Eleventh Report of Session 2006-07, HC
1028; Treasury Committee, First Special Report of Session 2007-08,
The efficiency programme in the Chancellor's departments: Government
Response to the Committee's Eighth Report of Session 2006-07,
HC 62 Back
84
HC (2007-08) 62, pp 2-3, 3-4, 6; Treasury Sub-Committee, Uncorrected
transcript of oral evidence, 9 January 2008, Administration
and expenditure of the Chancellor's departments, 2006-07 Back
85
HC (2006-07) 191, para 50 Back
