The Quinquennial Review Stage 2 Report will be published later today. The Executive Summary will be on the DTI website; and the full Report on the Service’s intranet from around 3.00pm. A small number of printed copies are being despatched to Offices and HQ Sections for ORs and Section Heads and for circulation to staff (and copies to RMs and HQ Directors, and the ATUS). There will be no press release, but the media might pick it up from the DTI site.
The Report runs to some 170 pages (including around 70 pages of Annexes etc containing a good deal from the Stage 1 Report and other already published material). The Executive Summary is at pages 3-9. There are 70 or so Recommendations which are brought together at pages 90-103.
The Report underlines the high level of performance and service delivery of The Service; but emphasises the point that “the rate at which it can make progress is constrained by its financial regime and by an outdated IT system [I think that should be systems since the references are to LOIS, BANCS and LOLA] which urgently needs up dating. Until this [by which the Review Team means funding of The Service and its IT] is resolved The Service will find it difficult to respond to changes in demand whether for policy work or to respond to sudden increases in caseload or to new initiatives.” (Executive Summary para 1.1 at page 3).
In considering the Recommendations - to the extent that they are accepted, and that they are not already part of what we have done, are doing or are planning to do – we will need to look closely at the resources required to implement them; and to determine priorities and “pay-offs”. The first steps are preliminary reports with initial management responses to the Agency Steering Board which meets on 10 May, and to The Service’s Conference which is being held on 16-17 May: the Conference report will of course be available to all staff. We will also look at whether there are specific issues which could usefully be covered by Conference syndicate discussion.
Peter Joyce
Inspector General and Agency Chief Executive
11 April 2001