Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department's ability to deliver its functions was last assessed.

The Department uses both external assurance and internal governance procedures to assess its ability to deliver its functions.

Externally, the National Audit Office (NAO) carries out value for money studies of the Department’s work areas and to recommend how to improve value for money and delivery of services. These reports are followed up by the Public Accounts Committee, which makes recommendations to the Department.

Internally, high-level governance is provided by the Departmental Board, the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and the Executive Team; the Executive Team also ensures that delivery performance is monitored effectively by Director General-led Portfolio Boards. The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts includes performance monitoring, financial monitoring, and audit, as well as setting out how the Department ensures it can deliver its functions. This includes describing how Departmental capability is assured, for example, through the Department’s People Plan, as well as examining risks to the Department and to delivery of its objectives, and assurance and accountability of local government, the Local Growth Fund, and the Department’s arms’ length bodies.

Additionally, the Department is currently planning to ensure it can deliver its functions in the future. The work on the Single Departmental Plan sets out what the Department will achieve over the next five years and how we measure success. Our Business Planning work will ensure that the Department has the tools to deliver these objectives.