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Print this pageThe Cabinet Office's Code of Practice on Consultation sets out standards for all departments to follow, helping to raise the quality and quantity of consultation carried out by government.
The need for effective consultation
Effective consultation is central to the Government's better regulation agenda. Engaging stakeholders and the general public helps find alternatives to legislation and identify potential consequences before proposals become law.
The Cabinet Office's Code of Practice on Consultation outlines minimum standards for consultation for all central government departments, ensuring that the best policy outcomes are achieved.
Promoting better regulation
Nick van Benschoten, Consultation Coordinator for the Department of Trade and Industry, is emphatic about the benefits of the Code.
He says:
"It's explicitly linked up with the government's better regulation agenda, and there's no doubt it has added value."
Nick believes the existence of the Code - "a consistent template that nails down what a consultation should be" - has led to an increase in the number of consultations undertaken by the DTI.
Nick says:
"It's difficult to quantify the Code's impact, but I'd say that since its introduction, our consultations have roughly doubled." Why is this increase significant? "The more you consult, the better the regulation solution."
The Code's stipulation that ministerial authorisation is needed for consultations which take less than 12 weeks is significant, Nick believes.
He says:
"It focuses ministers' minds on the importance of allowing enough time to elicit meaningful responses, and ensures that the views of those who will be affected by regulatory changes are heard."
The other section of the Code Nick highlights as particularly beneficial is the requirement to give feedback to respondents on how the consultation has influenced policy.
He says:
"Context is essential for effective regulation. This connects what you're doing with why you're doing it. I think it's important to make the people you consult feel valued."
Geoff Ashton, Consultation Coordinator for the Department of Work and Pensions, echoes Nick's sentiments. He believes the Code has made his department more outward-looking and encouraged deeper engagement with the public.
Geoff says:
"It has made us think beyond the usual suspects. When you talk to both stakeholders and members of the public, you realise their views don't always correspond. By consulting more widely, you're able to appraise responses fully and critically, which usually results in better outcomes."
Geoff believes there are other indirect benefits of wider consultation.
He says:
"Public awareness of Government tends to improve when you approach people for consultations. Research shows that the majority of citizens feel Government is remote and difficult to influence. Effective consultation is a step to narrowing that gap. The Code helps us to achieve this."
Benefits for all departments
Nick believes the benefits of the code are inarguable.
He says:
"As well as communicating the importance and the value of consultation, the Code is an invitation to achieve best practice. "The Code has really spurred us to action. Yes, we work to the Code, but having that framework is enough to encourage us to go beyond it."
Mitchell Leimon, Director, Better Regulation, Department of Trade and Industry adds:
"Here in DTI, we have used the Code of Practice to encourage a creative approach to consultation. We take prior informal consultation as standard. Making partnerships work has helped promote forward planning, get early input to European negotiations, and enhance long-term delivery by road-testing proposals with the experts."
