Root and Branch Review of STEM
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Issue 08 March 2015 Feature Root and branch review of STEM Future of driving Joining forces to fight Ebola Subscribe for free here: quarterly.blog.gov.uk #CSQuarterly 1 Issue 8 » March 2015 Civil Service Quarterly Contents 2 3 7 » A ten-point plan for » Editorial growth: two years on » The future of driving 11 16 19 » A root and branch » Using technology to review of STEM change the way we work » Bridging the divide 23 27 31 » Public Dialogue » Partnering with – solving an ethical » Fighting crime with business to 'Make dilemma better data Things do Stuff' 35 Contact us Editorial Board [email protected] Chris Wormald, Permanent Secretary, 4th Floor, 1 Horseguards Road, Department for Education (Chair) London SW1A 2HQ The Right Honourable Oliver Letwin, Read the magazine online and subscribe Minister for Government Policy, for free quarterly.blog.gov.uk Cabinet Office » Joining forces to fight Editorial Team Alex Aiken, Executive Director Government Communications Ebola , Cabinet Office Maria Nyberg David Halpern, Chief Executive of [email protected] the Behavioural Insights Team , Cabinet Office Krisztina Katona Lin Homer, Permanent Secretary, HMRC Civil Service Quarterly opens up the [email protected] Sir Richard Lambert, Lead Non-Executive Civil Service to greater collaboration Laura Criddle, Cabinet Office Director, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and challenge, showcases excellence, [email protected] and invites discussion. If the Civil Christopher Lockwood, Deputy Head Service is to be truly world-leading Design by DESIGN102 of Policy Unit, Prime Minister’s Office it needs to collaborate more, learn Darren Poole, Creative Designer Paul Maltby, Director, Government from experts outside the Civil Service, Innovation Group, Cabinet Office Thanks to Siobhan Latham and listen more to the public and front-line John Pullinger, National Statistician Alex Knight. staff and respond to new challenges and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics with innovation and boldness. Authority Dave Ramsden, Chief Economic Adviser, Any civil servant can HM Treasury Charles Roxburgh, Director General write for Civil Service Financial Services, HM Treasury Quarterly – contact Contact us at: [email protected] Jill Rutter, Programme Director, [email protected] Institute for Government 2 Issue 8 » March 2015 Civil Service Quarterly Editorial » Civil Service Quarterly: open, consistent, professional ‘A 10 point plan for growth: The period around an two years on’, which outlines election is an always interesting Defra’s strategic approach to and sometimes uncertain time. promoting economic growth, But, we hope that this issue showcase some of the cutting- makes clear, that rigorous edge techniques and new evaluation and continuous approaches being used in improvement is central to departments. creating a world-leading civil But this edition also opens service capable of responding up the challenge more widely: to any future challenge. We how can government ensure hope that you enjoy the articles; the UK’s entire workforce is please do comment and share equipped with the skills needed your views, or use #csquarterly to compete with the rest of on social media. We look Chris Wormald the world? ‘Partnering with forward to hearing from you. business to Make Things Do Stuff’ and ‘A root and branch Welcome to the eighth edition review of STEM’ explore two of Civil Service Quarterly. approaches to developing A key theme running through vital STEM skills, particularly this issue is that technological amongst young people. advancements are changing But one of the most urgent the way we live and work: and pressing challenges facing ‘A revolution on our roads’ governments worldwide is the explores a future in which cars most recent Ebola outbreak. drive themselves; the power As DFID works with a range of Cabinet Office’s Technology of departments to develop a Transformation programme vaccine, diagnose and treat is documented in ‘Using patients, and contain the technology to change the spread of the disease, the need way we work’; whilst ‘Public for new techniques, cross- Dialogue – solving an ethical departmental collaboration and dilemma’ shows how public an international perspective engagement has led to the couldn’t be clearer. Meanwhile, legalisation of new techniques in ‘Bridging the Divide’ Sir to treat mitochondrial disease. Jonathan Stephens provides Clearly, civil servants need a fascinating insight into the the skills to keep pace with this role played by civil servants in rapidly changing world. Articles securing cross-party agreement such as ‘Fighting crime with – proof, if any were needed, better data’, which explores of why exactly objectivity and Chris Wormald HMRC’s new approach to impartiality are so important Permanent Secretary, analysing and linking data, and within the civil service. Department for Education Cover photo: Rachel Riley, presenter of Countdown and BBC presenter Katie Derham talking at the launch of Your Life maths and science campaign. Let us know what you think by email ([email protected]) or on twitter #CSQuarterly. 3 Issue 8 » March 2015 Civil Service Quarterly A ten-point plan for growth: two years on » The Prime Minister’s challenge to departments to demonstrate their contribution to economic growth saw Defra draw up a 10-point plan of actions. Two years later, Katherine Riggs, Head of Strategy Unit, Graham Symons, Senior Economist, and Will Pryer, Strategy and Policy Adviser at Defra explain how the plan has boosted the economy, improved the lives of communities and individuals, and brought about a culture shift. for businesses and helped each potential measure in terms In the department create thousands of extra jobs of the scale of its expected in rural areas. The plan was impacts, how likely these were to Achieving strong and instrumental in changing the be delivered within 24 months, sustainable economic growth way Defra staff thought about and the degree to which impacts has been a key priority for the the department’s contribution would be measurable. Ministerial current UK government. In 2012 to growth alongside improving priorities were important as the Prime Minister challenged the environment and other were distributional impacts of departments to demonstrate important objectives. activities and trade-offs with their contribution. But how other policy objectives. could the Department for This process enabled Defra to Environment, Food and Rural Identifying the priorities prioritise its contribution into ten Affairs (Defra), not traditionally actions, and three broader areas, viewed as a growth-supporting Identifying the priorities of the ‘10-point growth plan’. department, respond to this was an initial challenge: the challenge? department’s diverse activities Defra realised the most held a range of possible areas Growing our sectors and their significant boost to the recovery to highlight, from remediating exports it could deliver would come contaminated land to reform of from focusing on three key areas the Common Fisheries Policy. Defra has responsibility for – growing food and farming A firm analytical basis promoting sectors (food and and their exports, investing in was essential. An economic drink, water, waste) that form infrastructure and removing framework was developed to a substantial part of the UK barriers to growth. A 10-point identify how different measures economy. The food chain, for plan of actions, clustered – some 48 in total – might instance, contributes over around these headings and contribute to growth in terms £100bn, or around 7%, to deliverable by 2015, was put of their impacts on: demand in the UK’s Gross Value Added together and presented to the economy; levels of different (GVA) and employs one in Cabinet in January 2013. ‘factors’ of production (like land, eight working people. Food Two years later, the labour and physical capital); manufacturing is the UK’s successes are clear. Rooted and the productivity of these largest manufacturing sector, in solid analysis, a clear factors. To assess the latter, bigger than automotive and strategy and an increase in Defra explored how activities aerospace combined. the capability of staff, the plan might affect key drivers of Defra has led high-level has helped boost the value productivity such as investment, visits that have helped open of UK food and drink exports innovation, skills, competition up overseas markets for UK by £700m between 2012 and and enterprise. Defra used a exports. In January 2015, 2013, reduced regulation five-star scoring system to rate Defra’s Secretary of State, 4 Issue 8 » March 2015 Civil Service Quarterly Tunnel boring machine at Lee Tunnel 5 Issue 8 » March 2015 Civil Service Quarterly A ten-point plan for growth: two years on programme of reforms within Summary of Defra’s 10-Point Growth Plan the government’s ‘Red Tape Challenge’ programme, being • Growing our sectors and their exports responsible for over 30% of all 1 Increase exports and competitiveness in the food chain legislative reforms. 2 Set the conditions to ensure that GM and nanotechnology can play a part in contributing to economic growth 3 Improve rural competitiveness and skills, invest in tourism What has been achieved? and support micro-enterprises 4 Proactively safeguard animal and plant health Two years since the 10-point 5 Reduce waste and inefficiency growth plan was launched a • Investing in infrastructure number of significant outcomes 6 Improve broadband