NCVO will consult its members on their views regarding extending the Freedom of Information Act to outsourced public services, it announced today.
Both the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties have committed to increasing public services transparency in their manifestos. Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, warned the sector that it must “expect to meet this topic in the near future, whoever forms the next government”.
Etherington said that NCVO will be consulting its member organisations to discover their views on extending the Act to cover charities delivering government services.
He said that while NCVO “believe in openness,” it is also aware of the effect that a standardised transparency clause would have on some organisations, particularly smaller ones.
“Our instinct is clear," he said. "We believe in openness and we believe that the public, and charities, ought to be able to see what is being done on their behalf. But we are also conscious of the many barriers which prevent voluntary sector organisations playing a fuller role in public service deliver.
“We hope to identify promising methods for furthering the cause of transparency without placing undue burdens on smaller providers.”
Institute of Government report “doesn’t go far enough”
The Institute for Government recently published a report on whether or not a standardised transparency clause would improve public confidence in outsourced public service contracts.
The report follows rules set out by Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, in a document entitled The Transparency of Suppliers and Government to the Public.
In its final report, the Institute for Government’s recommended amendments to the existing transparency provisions set out in the government’s Model Services Contract. The IfG also made suggestions for a new linked schedule – which would include things like transparency reports.
In a blog on NCVO’s website, NCVO public services manager Nick Davies said that while the report was a “decent step in the right direction”, NCVO believe that the IfG should go further.
NCVO suggests that any future transparency clause should deliver an accurate and unbiased account of performance against key indicators, as well as removing any “gagging clauses” that could be used to avoid disclosing information.
