Home Office is worst performing ministry

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The Home Office is lacking in all the key capabilities, an internal government review has concluded.

As it published its own action plan for improvement on Tuesday, the Cabinet Office's 'capability reviews' of four major government departments found John Reid's ministry to be by far the worst performing.

Measured against 10 key criteria, the department was found to be "strong" or "well placed" in none, needing "development" in six, "urgent development" in two and as suffering from "serious concerns" in two more.

In comparison the three other ministries undergoing the process - the departments for work and pensions, education and skills, and constitutional affairs - were "strong" in one area each, "well placed" in at least three each and suffering from "serious concerns" in none.

The Home Office's biggest weaknesses were found to be in its leadership's ability to build capability and in its planning, resourcing and prioritising.

Publishing the reviews, which were undertaken by the prime minister's delivery unit, cabinet secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell refused to criticise civil servants at the ministry or say it was "failing".

He insisted that the findings had been taken into account in the fundamental review of the department and would be used to improve performance.

"There are a number of development areas," the head of the civil service said.

"There are a number of urgent development areas. There are a number of serious concerns."

"We have been very clear and it's very transparent," he added.

"The Home Office has faced an enormously challenging environment in which to operate and it does not surprise me that it's at the low end."

But he did promise to hold permanent secretaries at each department to account over the action plans developed in response.

He said failure to do so would be brought up at appraisals, which would feed into pay reviews and bonuses.

Ian Watmore, the head of the delivery unit, said the Home Office's problems were already "well known about".

In contrast he praised the Department Constitutional Affairs for having "come a long way" since its inception in 2003 and said the the departments for work and pensions, and education and skills had "performed well against stretching targets".

Analysis

Sir Gus was outlining the first results of his comprehensive analysis of Whitehall's strengths and weaknesses.

The process begun last year is expected to inform future public sector reform and spending plans.

And Number 10 said it was backing the new focus on accountability, a clearer strategic focus, improved links with the public and the frontline, and moves to ensure civil servants have better professional skills.

"This will make the departments as a whole fit for modern challenges and look to future challenges," said the prime minister's official spokesman.

"For each of the departments the same five themes will be used as a template."

Leadership, strategy and delivery capabilities are all being assessed, with all 17 main departments undergoing the process over the next 18 months.

Sir Gus announced that his own Cabinet Office and the departments of trade and industry, and communities and local government would be next.

Private sector

Ahead of the announcements, the prime minister called for the civil service to adopt more of the practices of the private sector.

In an interview with the Financial Times on Wednesday Tony Blair said ministers should back civil servants when they become risk-takers.

Blair said the reviews were aimed at making the civil service an organisation that "is about delivery, project management and performance assessment".

He said it would complete "the process of getting away from the civil service as a bastion of policy advice in the traditional sense".

And he said that while ministers should be challenged about the practicality of policies, the civil service also needed to generate options for change on which ministers could take decisions about what was politically acceptable.

"What I am looking for the whole time is that I should be sat round the cabinet table with people saying: 'If you really want to sort this out, this is what you should do', and me saying: 'Well hang on a minute, I am not sure we can really go down that path'," he said.

"Whereas too much of the time, and I suspect I am in a long line of prime ministers in saying this, I am saying: 'Why can't we go further than this, why can't we do more?'"