The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life has today announced that it will be carrying out a new review looking at accountability within public bodies and the importance of acting on early warning signs.
The Committee has today published the Terms of Reference for this project and will carry out an open consultation as part of its evidence gathering.
The Committee expects to publish a report with best practice for public sector organisations in Spring 2025.
Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Doug Chalmers said:
"When things go wrong, it is important to understand what happened and why. Accountability is one of the Seven Principles of Public Life. But all too often public inquiries after a major failure reveal that problems were known about or there was information within the organisation that was not acted on quickly enough. The human cost of these failures - as well as the financial cost to the taxpayer - is too much. And as Artificial Intelligence becomes more embedded across the public sector, it is important to better understand what accountability for decision making, when AI is involved, means.
'In all organisations things go wrong from time to time. How quickly problems are picked up matters - as well as whether the organisational culture is one that enables and encourages an effective and appropriate response.
"The public sector is uniquely complex, with a variety of accountability mechanisms for decision-making and services. This review will look at how public bodies can do their best to ensure that issues are uncovered and addressed rapidly. Its purpose is to share best practice on how organisations build and maintain systems of internal accountability that enable timely decision making, supporting proper scrutiny of their decision making.
"We won't be re-investigating previous failures or repeating the work of public inquiries; this work is aimed at encouraging more effective accountability, within public bodies, so that problems are addressed before catastrophic failure.
"I would encourage people to look at the Terms of Reference we have published today. We really want to hear from anyone who has experience or examples to share with us about how we drive stronger accountability within public bodies."
The Committee's report will be presented to the Prime Minister and published on the Committee's website in Spring 2025.
Download the Terms of Reference
