Speeches by Green.

“If it is concentrated in specific parts of the country, does that mean that you intend to use local media as well as part of that?”

“How long do you think it is going to take to identify and fix this? What is the timescale that you are currently guesstimating? I appreciate that it can only be a guesstimate.”

“It won’t have fixed it.”

“It is a quick one, and I am happy for you to write to the Committee if it is easier. It relates to our recent inquiry into civil service pensions and is simply a question about the procurement guidance given to Departments—when that is likely to be updated or reviewed, whether it is under review—and a related question …”

“We do. It is the best name. Bonnie, you mentioned the Top 75 programme. What have you learned from the challenges that that programme faced in trying to improve cost information?”

“Permanent Secretary, what is the Cabinet Office doing to ensure that Departments understand their services and have an embedded senior responsible service owner?”

“I assume that not everyone is there yet, so are you working to a timeframe to make sure that that is the case?”

“Is that sponsorship at a political level?”

“So it is not just about having a sustained senior sponsor; it is also about having that political sponsor as well.”

“I have one more question for Bonnie and the permanent secretary. What can be done to address the lack of senior-level sponsorship of a programme like Top 75, to make sure that it has the impact it is meant to have?”

“Setting aside the trade union question, how often do procurement guidelines get reviewed and updated, or looked at? Annually? When there is a crisis? How often are they looked at in general?”

“On Friday, I met primary schools in my constituency that are accommodating in their classrooms children who they are not set up for. One school had to convert its library for two children for whom the main classroom setting is overwhelming, and a second had to do the same for its IT department. What reassurance can the…”

“May I ask you, James Bowler, for your reflections on how well the Treasury manages its function in overseeing how Departments are managing their charging?”

“You mentioned access to justice. Are there any trade-offs in the DVLA that you have to factor in?”

“I wanted to follow up with Farhad and Tim, if I may. What are the other challenges in setting fees accurately? The NAO Report is very clear that His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service has an estimated £8.4 million that could be claimed in refunds. I am keen to tease out, in your respective agencies, what the other …”

“Yes. I have a quick question for Tim Moss, if I may. It is around those who have revoked their driving licence for medical reasons and are trying to renew it but waiting an unreasonable amount of time to get their licence renewed. Are you able to give the Committee an update on what the DVLA is doing to shorten the amo…”

“May I draw you in, Matthew, if I may, about roles and responsibilities, in terms of who is responsible for what? What is the Department doing to clarify who is expected to do what in this process?”

“Is that not the case at present?”

“Nick, looking forward, what is the Treasury looking to do to help strengthen the arrangements to improve oversight of fee setting?”

“I would be interested to hear from Farhad and Tim their reflections on how that interaction with the Treasury works in practice at present in terms of the guidance that they provide, whether they challenge what you say, or whether they provide any best practice or any templates to follow at present.”