A solution – PART 1:
How do we address inequalities within the UK without a set of standards with which to measure those inequalities?
An independent set of standards should be set to benchmark performance of key public services. This UK wide benchmarking will allow for a more complete and coherent approach to resourcing key areas based on adjusting for objective socio-economic needs, creating an environment whereby Home Nations can learn and share best practices with one another and provide for more accountability for both the Devolved Administrations and the UK Government.
The UK Parliament should legislate for regularly published, comparable outcomes data across all public services, broken down by country and region. This could be established within a pre-existing body such as the Office for National Statistics, an independent of government and widely recognised as a world leader in comprehensive, objective data collection and presentation. The term standards may be used interchangeably with the term measurements in this section.
It is important at this stage to highlight what this recommendation is not. This recommendation is not suggesting that an independent body set measures of success, which reasonability lies with Ministers should they chose to operate in such a manner and the judge of success on policy implementation in a democracy is ultimately the electorate. Nor is it an attempt to manipulate data collection efforts by circumventing or removing the Devolved Administrations’ ability to do so, they would retain their powers to collect and interpret their own data, for they own purposes and would be well within their rights to continue to present that data in negotiations or to their electorate. The recommendation does not, and should not; prevent a Devolved Administration’s ability to set its own targets and measure progress toward them. What it does allow for is the comparison of public service provision across the UK; allowing for more efficient allocation of resources, an understanding of how comparatively better[1] outcomes could be achieved (with data to back that up) and more accountability. The final point is worth exploring in more detail in part two.
[1] This report acknowledges that better is a subjective and politically charged word. The principle, however, remains valid, in that one cannot begin to analyse performance without first having a baseline or benchmark by which to do so. Given this, and the implicit assumption that all governments should strive to provide the best possible service for their citizens, it is argued that this is a reasonable goal to aim for.