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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| 'Pace and passion' at Home Office | 'Pace and passion' at Home Office |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Home Office ministers and officials have agreed to "exude pace and passion" as they work to end "weak" performance. | Home Office ministers and officials have agreed to "exude pace and passion" as they work to end "weak" performance. |
| A one-page agreement between civil servants and their bosses sets out their separate responsibilities as they "work together". | A one-page agreement between civil servants and their bosses sets out their separate responsibilities as they "work together". |
| It says the heads of operational services are responsible for "increasingly answering externally for operational matters". | It says the heads of operational services are responsible for "increasingly answering externally for operational matters". |
| The Lib Dems said it "sounded like a grubby and one-sided deal". | |
| The Home Office has suffered several controversies recently. | The Home Office has suffered several controversies recently. |
| Home Secretary John Reid has said he would take two and a half years to turn around the department, which he has run since May 2006 when Charles Clarke was axed during a row over foreign prisoners. | Home Secretary John Reid has said he would take two and a half years to turn around the department, which he has run since May 2006 when Charles Clarke was axed during a row over foreign prisoners. |
| He has also suggested the department be split in two. | He has also suggested the department be split in two. |
| The Compact Between Ministers and the Home Office Board sees both parties agree to "ensure decisions are taken at the right level". | |
| Weaknesses | Weaknesses |
| Officials' responsibilities also include making sure that "accountabilities are clear, always knowing which individual is responsible for which decision and area of work and tackling weak performance". | Officials' responsibilities also include making sure that "accountabilities are clear, always knowing which individual is responsible for which decision and area of work and tackling weak performance". |
| Ministers will "focus on policy and outcomes knowing that weakness, in relation to both processes or individual performance, will be tackled effectively". | Ministers will "focus on policy and outcomes knowing that weakness, in relation to both processes or individual performance, will be tackled effectively". |
| Officials are reminded to "understand the political and wider context in which we work". | Officials are reminded to "understand the political and wider context in which we work". |
| In return, ministers will "support the need for officials to make operational judgements, with the expectation that they will be kept informed of matters which potentially have a strategic or reputational risk or impact". | In return, ministers will "support the need for officials to make operational judgements, with the expectation that they will be kept informed of matters which potentially have a strategic or reputational risk or impact". |
| Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said the agreement "sounded like a grubby and one-sided deal to cover the backs of government ministers". | |
| 'Passing the buck' | |
| He called for "any meaningful deal" to be "based on an undertaking from ministers that they will put competence before spin and the public interest before their own public image". | |
| Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "At a time when the Home Office is crying out for decisive leadership from ministers, it is a bit rich for them to pass the buck and blame civil servants for their failures." | |
| The compact is posted on the Home Office website, along with an outline of changes made at the department since July 2006. | The compact is posted on the Home Office website, along with an outline of changes made at the department since July 2006. |
| It said staff at its headquarters had been reduced by 285 as part of a plan to focus more on regional offices. | It said staff at its headquarters had been reduced by 285 as part of a plan to focus more on regional offices. |
| At the top of the department, there have been three changes to its board, and 10 directors have left the department to be "replaced with newcomers from a variety of backgrounds, some from business and others from the public sector". | At the top of the department, there have been three changes to its board, and 10 directors have left the department to be "replaced with newcomers from a variety of backgrounds, some from business and others from the public sector". |
| It warned that further weaknesses would be revealed as they solve "deep-rooted problems". | It warned that further weaknesses would be revealed as they solve "deep-rooted problems". |
| "What matters then is how you deal with them. For our part, we intend to fix them." | "What matters then is how you deal with them. For our part, we intend to fix them." |
| In January, the Association of Chief Police Officers revealed that the details of 27,529 cases of Britons who had been convicted of offences abroad - including 25 convictions of rape - had been left on files at the Home Office instead of being entered on the Police National Computer. | In January, the Association of Chief Police Officers revealed that the details of 27,529 cases of Britons who had been convicted of offences abroad - including 25 convictions of rape - had been left on files at the Home Office instead of being entered on the Police National Computer. |