Question
I am the chair of the Public and Commercial Services Union parliamentary group. I think we all appreciate that my hon. Friend has inherited a scandal, and I thank her for the access that she has given to the unions and for working with them closely. In her statement, she mentioned the independent audit report. Will the Grant Thornton report be published and, if so, when? The trade unions are willing to work with the Minister on bringing this service in-house—first the front operations, then eventually the computer systems—in a gradual but, I hope, fast way. Let me ask her this. The Government went ahead and outsourced to Capita the payment of salaries in three Government Departments under the Synergy contact. If there is any delay in wage payments at all, will that contract be brought in-house immediately?
Answer
Due to some commercial and legal sensitivities, we will not be able to publish the Grant Thornton report. However, we will make it confidentially available to the Public Accounts Committee and the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. I will work with the trade unions on any future plans that we might have for the scheme, and I am happy to work further with the PCS parliamentary group. The Synergy contract did not fall in the remit of the Cabinet Office—it was with the Department for Work and Pensions—but I am sure that my right hon. Friend’s comments have been heard.
Verdict: AMBER (62/100)
The minister clearly and directly declined to publish the Grant Thornton report, giving a stated reason (commercial and legal sensitivities), and said it would instead be made available confidentially to two named committees. The reply did not give a date, so the conditional part of the question about when publication might happen is only partly answered. The part about bringing the Synergy contract in-house if wage payments are delayed is largely unresolved: the reply shifts responsibility to the Department for Work and Pensions and offers only a general commitment to work with unions, so the asker would likely need to follow up on that point.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Grant Thornton independent audit report be published? | Addressed | Direct | The minister directly declines to publish the Grant Thornton report and gives a stated reason (commercial and legal sensitivities), which answers the 'will it be published' question completely. |
| If the Grant Thornton report is to be published, when will it be published? | Addressed | Direct | The conditional 'if it is to be published, when' is answered by the refusal to publish, with the report instead made confidentially available to the two named committees; no date is given, but the premise is rejected and a concrete alternative is stated. |
| If there is any delay in wage payments under the Synergy contract for salary payments in three Government Departments, will the Government bring that contract in-house immediately? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply deflects by saying the Synergy contract sat with the Department for Work and Pensions rather than the Cabinet Office, and offers only a vague commitment to work with unions on future scheme plans, but never says whether the Government would bring the contract in-house if wage payments were delayed. |