Ifg Events Podcast

The performance of public services is a key election battle ground. After a decade of spending restraint, all political parties are now promising to invest in critical services such as hospitals, schools and social care. But how can the next government ensure new money is spent well? What’s the best way to reduce wasteful spending and deliver high quality services? How can public service leaders be held to account? We were delighted to be joined by leading thinker and author John Seddon to discuss these themes from his new book Beyond Command and Control. He was joined on the panel by: David Walker, journalist and former managing director of the Audit Commission Kathy Evans, chief executive at Children England The event was chaired by Nick Davies, programme director at the Institute for Government.

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve. At this event, the seventh in our series, our speakers presented their data projects in an exciting, quickfire format. Each set of speakers had eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience. In November, we heard from: Miranda Sharp, innovation director at Ordnance Survey, on Geospatial’s role in better citizen outcomes Nic Granger, director of corporate at the Oil and Gas Authority, on Digital Excellence – using data as a catalyst for creating economic value David Kane, product lead at 360 Giving, on the potential of charity data Miranda Marcus, research & development programme lead at the Open Data Institute, on using open and shared data to improve local public services This event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, programme director and head of data and transparency at the Institute for Government. We woul

The government must pass the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in order to leave the EU with a deal. The legislation will become the key Brexit battleground in Parliament. This event looked at the challenges the government faces in passing the bill, its constitutional significance and the possible routes through. Our panel included: Raoul Ruparel, former Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Europe Maddy Thimont-Jack, Senior Researcher, Institute for Government Raphael Hogarth, Associate, Institute for Government The event was chaired by Joe Owen, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions.

On 4 November the House of Commons will elect its new Speaker. With Parliament in the spotlight, the approach that candidates propose to take to the challenges that will face the next Commons Speaker – from the interpretation of procedure, to the restoration of the Palace of Westminster and Parliament’s engagement with the public – is of greater significance than ever. This event with candidates running to become the next Speaker explored these important questions. Participants included: Henry Bellingham MP Chris Bryant MP Harriet Harman MP Meg Hillier MP Eleanor Laing MP Shailesh Vara MP The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions.

Successive British governments have failed to address well-known problems with the tax system. The Institute for Government is looking at why it has been so hard to make significant, sensible reforms to the tax system, and what could be changed to make this easier in future. To better understand the barriers to reform and potential solutions, this event invited a series of tax reform advocates to pitch their ideas to a panel of tax experts. Tax experts Rupert Harrison, Portfolio Manager at BlackRock and former special adviser to George Osborne Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government Paul Wallace, economic journalist and author (former European Economics Editor at The Economist) Tax reformers Sam Bowman, Senior Fellow and former Executive Director of the Adam Smith Institute Shreya Nanda, Economist at the Institute for Public Policy Research Alfie Stirling, Head of Economics at the New Economics Foundation The event was chaired b

Governing in an era of political disruption: view from the Australian Senate by Institute for Government

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve. At this event, the sixth in our series, our speakers presented their data projects in an exciting, quickfire format. Each set of speakers had eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience. We heard from: John Sheridan, Digital Director at The National Archives, on legislation as data - meeting the challenge of Brexit Dr Natalie Byrom, Director of Research and Learning at The Legal Education Foundation, on Digital Justice: HMCTS data strategy and delivering access to justice Adam Locker, Data Architect at the Food Standards Agency, on fix the plumbing: a user’s guide Ben Coleman, Data Analytics Lead at the National Audit Office, on the NAO’s Data Service – a local solution to the problems caused by inconsistent government data releases This event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Programme Director and Head of

The Institute for Government launched a new report Governing without Ministers, looking at how Northern Ireland has functioned without ministers for nearly 1,000 days. The report provides an analysis of the history of power-sharing in Northern Ireland, how Northern Ireland has operated since the collapse of the executive in 2017, the consequences of these arrangements, and how a future executive could be supported once restored. The panel discussed the past, present and future governance challenges facing Northern Ireland. It included: Sir Jonathan Phillips KCB, Warden at Keble College, Oxford and former Permanent Secretary of the Northern Ireland Office (2005–10) Peter May, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Justice, Northern Ireland Civil Service Owen Sims, Senior Policy Officer at CBI Northern Ireland Jill Rutter, Programme Director at the Institute for Government Jess Sargeant, Researcher at the Institute for Government The event was chaired by Bronwen Maddox, Director, Institute for Government

The government has released papers setting out what could happen if the UK left the EU without a deal. This event explored what those papers tell us about a no-deal Brexit and how the government is preparing. Our panel included: Hilary Benn MP – Chair of the Exiting the EU Committee Philip Rycroft – former Permanent Secretary, Department of Exiting the EU Rosamund Urwin – Senior Reporter, The Sunday Times Dr Graham Gudgin – Chief Economic Adviser, Policy Exchange Joe Owen – Programme Director, Institute for Government The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, programme director at the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions.

Deal or no deal, the UK will take up an independent seat at the World Trade Organization after Brexit. This event explored what role the UK should play and how can it defend its interests in an organisation under pressure to reform. Our panel included: Nick-Ashton Hart – Geneva Representative for Digital Trade Network Bernardine Adkins - Head of EU, Trade and Competition at Gowling WLG LLP Iana Dreyer – Editor of Borderlex, European trade policy specialist Dr. Stephanie Rickard – Professor of International Trade at LSE The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions.

The government announced spending plans for 2020-21 on 4 September and will be carrying out a further multi-year review in 2020. In their different ways, both Boris Johnson’s government and the Labour Party have been promising to spend lots of money to bring about change which they think voters want. But past experience shows it is far from easy for governments to turn money into value and impact. At this event, we hosted a discussion on spending, performance and the role of the Treasury, with: Sir Michael Barber, distinguished adviser to governments in the UK and abroad Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government Martin Wheatley, Senior Fellow and author of a new Institute report The Treasury’s responsibility for the results of public spending. The discussion was chaired by Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions.

A string of high-profile failures – from security at the Olympics to probation – has put Britain’s outsourcing model under intense scrutiny, and led to calls for a wide range of services to be brought back into government hands. But in some areas, the evidence shows outsourcing has delivered better and cheaper services. At this event, we launched a new report which assesses the record of outsourcing over the last four decades and sets out how to improve the way government contracts out services. To discuss the findings, our panel included: The Rt Hon. Sir David Lidington MP, Member of Parliament for Aylesbury and former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Rachel Reeves MP, Member of Parliament for Leeds West and Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee Richard Cockett, Senior Editor, The Economist Tom Sasse, Senior Researcher, Institute for Government The event was chaired by Nick Davies, Programme Director, Institute for Government.

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome journalist and author Marie LeConte to discuss these themes from her new book Haven't You Heard? Gossip, Power, and How Politics Really Works. She was joined on the panel by: Matthew O'Toole, journalist and former civil servant in Number 10 and HM Treasury Tara O'Reilly, founder of Women in Westminster and co-ordinator for the Labour Tribune MPs Group. Duncan Robinson, political correspondent for The Economist. The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions. Marie Le Conte is a political journalist who writes for publications including Prospect Magazine, Guardian, GQ and the New Statesman. She has appeared on Any Questions, Today Programme, Newsnight, and many others.

Better use of data is key to more effective government. Across government, teams are doing fascinating work with data. But those projects don’t get the attention they deserve. At this event, the fifth in our series, four organisations presented their data projects in an exciting, quickfire format. Each set of speakers had eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience. We heard from: Oli Vogel, Head of Recovery Performance at Indesser, on using data to identify vulnerable service users and treat them more fairly Emma Gordon, Director, Strategic Hub at Administrative Data Research UK, on how government can make better use of administrative data for research Graeme Thomson, Programme Director Counter Fraud (Data Analytics, Capability Development, and Pilots), Cabinet Office, on transforming capability in data and analytics to deal with public sector fraud Sam Tazzyman, Head of Data Engineering and Analytical Platform, Ministry of Justice, on the future of data in the MoJ This event w

As MPs return from summer recess, the key issue in Parliament will be Brexit and a potential showdown with the government. This event explored what options available to each side and where the key challenges lie. Our panel included: Alistair Burt MP, former Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (joint with the Department for International Development) Paul Evans, former Clerk of Committees, House of Commons Sebastian Payne, Whitehall Correspondent, Financial Times Maddy Thimont Jack, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government The discussion was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions.

As Parliament prepares to return for one of the most important periods in British history, the Institute for Government was delighted to welcome the Rt Hon Tony Blair, Executive Chairman of The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and former Prime Minister of the UK. He delivered a speech on Brexit and the current UK political landscape, followed by a conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government. Tony Blair served as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2007. He has established the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change to work on some of the most difficult challenges in the world today.

After 20 years of devolution, this event explored whether devolution has worked, through the lens of its impact on policy, the economy, trust in politics, and the Union. The event also launched a collection of essays entitled: Has Devolution Worked? which includes an exclusive interview with Tony Blair. Joining the panel to discuss these themes were: Tony Travers, Professor of Government at LSE, Director of LSE London, and contributor to Has Devolution Worked? Rachel Ormston, Research Director, Ipsos MORI Scotland, who has written extensively about public trust in politics and government, national identity and constitutional change David Torrance, Senior Library Clerk in the House of Commons, author of Salmond: Against the Odds, and contributor to Has Devolution Worked? Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, and co-editor of Has Devolution Worked? Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government chaired the event. There was an opportunity for audience questions.

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome the Rt Hon. Andrea Leadsom MP, Conservative Member of Parliament for South Northamptonshire, and the former Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons She spoke about her role as the Leader of the Commons, specifically her reflections on parliamentary reform, including proxy voting, bullying and harassment in Parliament and restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster. The event was chaired by Dr Hannah White, Deputy Director of the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions.

The Institute for Government was delighted to welcome David Sterling, Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, to give a keynote speech. He discussed the challenge of governing in the absence of the power-sharing executive and how this has affected policy decisions, including Brexit preparations and negotiations. He was in conversation with Jill Rutter, Programme Director of the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions. David Sterling became Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service in July 2017.

Too often the discussion about public spending is about how much is spent, not whether it is spent usefully. But as the UK’s foreign aid spending watchdog, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) focuses specifically on how well public money is spent. This event was an opportunity to discuss what we can learn from ICAI about the value of independent scrutiny of public spending, and how this model can be applied to other sectors. Dr Tamsyn Barton, ICAI Chief Commissioner opened the event with a short presentation on ICAI’s work over the last four years and plans for the next four. She joined a panel discussion, with: Paul Scully MP, Chair of the ICAI sub-committee of the International Development Committee Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Development Martin Wheatley, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government. The event was chaired by Hannah White, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions.