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Last updated: 28 November 2008
This year’s Annual Report gives details of the outcomes of the three Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets announced during the Spending Review of SR 2004, against which the Department’s performance was measured during the SR 2004 period.
The Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) 2007 announced a new set of PSAs which articulate the priority outcomes for the CSR period. This section describes the areas in which the Cabinet Office leads delivery and also describes its Departmental Strategic Objectives (DSOs), also announced during the CSR, against which the Department will also be measured; plus details of the relationship between the two.
Background
Since their introduction in the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), Public Service Agreements (PSAs) have played a vital role in galvanising public service delivery and driving major improvements in outcomes. Building on this success, over the past two years the Government has been working with frontline professionals, the public and external experts to renew the performance management framework for the next decade.
The culmination of this work was the announcement in the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 (CSR 2007) in October 2007 of 30 new PSAs. These set out the Government’s highest priority outcomes for the CSR 2007 period, 2008/09 to 2010/11.
Each PSA is underpinned by a single Delivery Agreement, shared across all contributing departments, and developed in consultation with delivery partners and frontline workers.
They also describe the small basket of national outcome- focused performance indicators that will be used to measure progress towards each PSA. A subset of indicators also have specific national targets or minimum standards attached. Details are set out in the relevant Delivery Agreement. All other national indicators are expected to improve against baseline trends over the course of the spending period.
A government-wide commitment to build services around the needs of citizens and businesses will be integral to the achievement of each PSA. Also published in the CSR was a Service Transformation Agreement (STA), which underpins delivery of the new PSA framework, setting out the Government’s vision for building services around the citizen and specific actions for each department in taking forward this challenging agenda.
Cabinet Office CSR 2007 – Public Service Agreements & Service transformation Agreement
CSR 2007 announced that the Cabinet Office would lead on delivery of one PSA and the Service Transformation Agreement (STA). Further information on PSA, Socially Excluded Adults, can be found on Page 37 and the STA on Page 33. Further, Cabinet Office will contribute directly to delivery of three other PSAs.
| Sustainable growth and prosperity | ||||
| 1. Raise the productivity of the UK economy | 2. Improve the skills of the population, on the way to ensuring a world- class skills base by 2020 | 3. Ensure controlled, fair migration that protects the public and contributes to economic growth | 4. Promote world class science and innovation in the UK | 5. Deliver reliable and efficient transport networks that support economic growth |
| Fairness and opportunity for all | ||||
| 6. Deliver the conditions for business success in the UK | 7. Improve the economic performance of all English regions and reduce the gap in economic growth rates between regions. | 8.Maximise employment opportunity for all | 9.Halve the number of children in poverty by 2010-11, on the way to eradicating child poverty by 2020 | 10.Raise the educational achievement of all children and young people |
| 11. Narrow the gap in educational achievement between children from low income and disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers | 12. Improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people | 13. Improve children and young people's safety | 14. Increase the number of children and young people on the path to success | 15. Address the disadvantage that individuals experience because of their gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief |
| Stronger communities and a better way of life | ||||
| 16. Increase the proportion of socially excluded adults in settled accommodation and employment, education or training | 17. Tackle poverty and promote greater independence and wellbeing in later life | 18. Promote better health and wellbeing for all | 19. Ensure better care for all | 20. Increase long term housing supply and affordability |
| 21. Build more cohesive, empowered and active communities | 22. Deliver a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games with a sustainable legacy and get more children and young people taking part in high quality PE and sport | 23. Make communities safer | 24. Deliver a more effective, transparent and responsive Criminal Justice System for victims and the public | 25. Reduce the harm caused by Alcohol and Drugs |
| A more secure, fair and environmentally sustainable world | ||||
| 26. Reduce the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from international terrorism | 27. Lead the global effort to avoid dangerous climate change | 28. Secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future | 29. Reduce poverty in poorer countries through quicker progress towards the Millennium Development Goals | 30. Reduce the impact of conflict through enhanced UK and international efforts |
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SERVICE TRANSFORMATION AGREEMENT (underpins the PSAs)
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| Key: | |
Public Service Agreements groups:  Sustainable growth and prosperity (PSAs 1-7)  Fairness and opportunity for all (PSAs 8-17)  Stronger communities and a better quality of life (PSAs 18-26) A more secure, fair and environmentally sustainable world (PSAs 27-30) |
Cabinet Office involvement: Red: Cabinet Office leading on delivery Blue: Cabinet Office delivery partner Black: Other Public Service Agreements – CO underpin successful delivery |
Cabinet Office CSR 2007: departmental Strategic Objectives (dSOs) 2008–2011
The Cabinet Office has a single overarching aim, namely, Making Government Work Better. Announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review, October 2007, the department set itself six Department Strategic Objectives (DSOs) which underpin the delivery of this aim.
In CSR, all the main Government departments set themselves varying numbers of DSOs which are intended to cover the wider span of departmental activities, including business as usual, while at the same time underpin delivery of Government’s highest priorities as set out in the 30 PSAs.
The Cabinet Office’s six DSOs and their linkage to PSAs are described in the table below.
Each DSO has key performance indicators that we will use to assess their delivery and where applicable, their contribution to the Government’s Public Service Agreements.
| DSO Description | PSA Linkage | Key Performance Indicators (KPI) | Measure that will assess delivery of KPI |
| DSO 1 – Build an effective UK intelligence community in support of UK national interests; and the capabilities to deal with disruptive challenges to the UK | Delivery partner for PSA 26: Reduce the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from international terrorism Delivery partner for PSA 30: Reduce the impact of conflict through enhanced UK and international efforts | Key Performance Indicators are classified | |
| DSO 2 – Support the Prime Minister and the Cabinet in domestic, European, overseas and defence policy making. | Not linked to any one PSA, but will underpin successful delivery of all | Domestic, foreign, defence and security policy decisions are facilitated and supported by timely, well-informed and objective advice | Stakeholder survey of Ministers and Departments on the coherence, quality and timeliness of advice and support provided to the Prime Minister, Cabinet and Cabinet Committees |
| DSO 3a – Improve outcomes for the most excluded people in society | Cabinet Office leading delivery of PSA16: Increase the proportion of socially excluded adults in settled accommodation and employment, education or training |
Ensure public services support the most disadvantaged people in society into settled accommodation and employment, education or training. This DSO supports delivery of the Government's PSA 16 – Increase the proportion of socially excluded adults in settled accommodation and employment, education or training. The Cabinet Office leads on delivery of this PSA |
Measures in the Local Authority National Indicator set that will assess delivery of this PSA are:
Settled Accommodation Increase the proportion of former care leavers aged 19, who had left care aged 16 or over, who are in suitable accommodation; Increase the proportion of adults receiving secondary mental health services in settled accommodation; Increase the proportion of adults with learning disabilities in settled accommodation. Employment, education or training Increase the proportion of offenders under probation supervision in employment at the end of their licence; Increase the proportion of former care leavers aged 19, who had left care aged 16 or over, who are in employment, education or training; Increase the proportion of adults receiving secondary mental health services in employment; Increase the proportion of adults with learning disabilities in employment |
| DSO 3b – Enable a thriving third sector | Delivery partner for PSA 21: Build more cohesive, empowered and active communities | Increase participation in formal volunteering;
Build sustainable third sector organisations; Establish a better local environment for a thriving third sector |
Increase the participation of people who engage in formal volunteering on a regular basis;
Increase the number of full-time equivalent staff employed within the third sector; Increase the percentage of Government funding to third sector organisations which is secured for three years or more; Survey of third sector organisations in each upper tier local authority on the quality of the local environment for a thriving third sector. The first two measures contribute to delivery of the Government's PSA 21 - Build more cohesive, empowered and active communities. A better local environment for a thriving third sector is also directly measured by National Indicator 7 in the local government performance framework. |
| DSO 4 – Transform public services so that they better meet the individual needs of the citizen and business | Leading on delivery of the Service Transformation Agreement (STA) | Deliver public services more efficiently and effectively by reducing the ‘avoidable' (defined as duplicate, made in error or nugatory) contact by citizens and businesses which would not have been necessary had things been done right first time;
Deliver better and more navigable online government services by progressively moving them to two key websites – Directgov (for citizens) and Businesslink.gov (for businesses) This DSO supports delivery of the Government's Transformational Government Strategy and Service Transformation Agreement. The Cabinet Office, with HMT, leads on delivery of this Agreement |
Achieve a 50 per cent reduction in avoidable contact by 31 March 2011;
Migrate more than 95 per cent of the total identified websites to Directgov and Businesslink.gov by 31 March 2011 |
| DSO 5 – Build the capacity and capability of the Civil Service to deliver the Government's objectives | Not linked to any one PSA, but will underpin successful delivery of all | A highly capable Civil Service, with effective leaders and people able to deliver the Government's business priorities and excellent public services | Increase the capability of departments as measured by: Capability Review re-review scores; and the proportion who respond positively to key organisational effectiveness questions in staff surveys, or where available, the department's engagement index.
Increase the effectiveness of leaders and people as measured by: the proportion who respond positively to key leadership questions in staff surveys, or where available, the department's engagement index; and the leadership element scores in the Capability Review re- reviews. Increase the ability of the Civil Service to deliver the Government's priorities and excellent public services, as measured by: achievement of the Government's key priority outcomes, as set out in Public Service Agreements; public confidence in public services (determined by the Ipsos Mori Delivery Index); and international ratings of Government effectiveness |
| DSO 6 – Promote the highest standards of propriety, integrity and governance in public life | Not linked to any one PSA, but will underpin successful delivery of all | Promote standards that ensure good governance, including adherence to the Ministerial and Civil Service Codes | Publication of Codes of Conduct (Ministerial Code, Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, Civil Service Code) and the annual list of Ministers interests, travel and gifts.
Ensure public servants are aware of and abide by the standards of propriety |
Cabinet Office CSR 2007: value for money (vfm) Plans
Along with the rest of the Public Sector, the Cabinet Office needs to develop its services and processes in the light of the changing challenges it faces. There is an imperative to provide the right services and functions needed for the modern world in the most cost-efficient manner possible. The Department’s Value for Money (VfM) plan forms a major part of this effort. It is important to note that the main driver is not the simple cutting of costs but the provision of an improved, more efficient, public service.
The Cabinet Office has carefully considered every area of its activity as part of this exercise. No function or unit has been exempt from the effort to seek improvements to the services provided and increased efficiency in their delivery. As a result of this the Department has set itself a very challenging target in the 2008/2009 financial year. This is with the intention of freeing up as much resource as early as possible for redeployment within the Department onto other functions and services.
It is important to understand that all of the VfM savings are based on comparison with a counter-factual. This means that the savings quoted are the difference between what the expected spend would be without any action by the department and the expected spend following the planned reforms and changes.
Throughout the planning the assumption used was that without any action being taken spending on the areas concerned would increase by the rate of inflation. An inflatory figure of 2.7% per year has been used, which is in line with the HM Treasury Deflator published on their website.
For each initiative the baseline used has been the projected spend in the 2007/2008 financial year. On this basis, the Cabinet Office is seeking to deliver net cash-releasing savings of around £35 million per year by 2010-11.