The Consultation Co-ordinator Network
Monitor your Department's effectiveness at consultation, including through the use of a designated consultation co-ordinator.
Each Department should have a nominated consultation co-ordinator, who should ensure that the Consultation Code is followed. They should act as an advisor to those conducting consultation exercises. (Code of Practice on Consultation, Criterion 5, p.10)
Most Government Departments and Agencies have a designated member of staff to oversee and advise on public consultations carried out by their policy officials. This network of consultation co-ordinators are in turn overseen by the Better Regulation Executive at the Cabinet Office.
Consultation co-ordinators meet regularly to share best practice and to gain information and advice on new political developments which may affect the consultation process.
The role of the Consultation Co-ordinator is to:
- ensure that consultations carried out by policy teams in their Department comply with the criteria of the Code. This means monitoring ongoing consultations and evaluating the effectiveness of closed consultations in order to improve future practice.
- ensure that policy teams throughout their Department understand the role of the Consultation Co-ordinator. They should also make sure that policy teams are aware of their responsibility to notify the co-ordinator of any new consultations being launched.
- effectively disseminate advice on best practice and developments affecting consultation to policy teams throughout their Department.
- notify Cabinet Office to any consultations being carried out by their Department which do not comply with any specific aspect or criteria of the Code.
- promote, where possible, 'joined-up consultation' in order to reduce overlap with consultations being carried out by other Departments or Agencies. This means liaising effectively with policy officials to make sure they have investigated whether other Departments have, are, or are about to, consult on a similar topic.
- investigate and respond fully and promptly to any enquiries or complaints generated by a consultation carried out by their Department.
- maintain and collate departmental data on consultations that have been published in their own Annual Departmental Report and for the Annual Report on Consultation produced by the Cabinet Office.
- Consultation Co-ordinators must provide the following information for these Annual Reports:
- The total number of consultations started during the year
- The number of consultations lasting 12 weeks or more
- The number of limited consultations authorised by the appropriate Minister and the reasons for their being limited
- Best practice: for example how good quality consultation documents and methodology have positively influenced policy formation
Initial consultations and Re-consultations should not be counted as a separate consultation in the Annual Report, unless the original policy proposal and consultation has undergone significant change and a further 12 week consultation has been carried out. You should, however, keep a record of all re-consultations carried out as evidence of best practice and inform your consultation co-ordinator of any re-consultations you carry out.
