8. Our commitment to listen
Purpose of the consultation
8.1 This consultation seeks views to inform our reform of the Social Fund. We would like to hear from all who are interested. The consultation applies to England, Wales and Scotland.
Duration of the consultation
8.2 The consultation period begins on 15 March 2010 and runs until 7 June 2010.
Consultation arrangements
8.3 Please send your consultation responses to:
Social Fund Reform Consultation Team
Department for Work and Pensions
Caxton House Level 1/F
6-12 Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9NA
Email: social.fund@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
8.4 Please ensure your response reaches us by 7 June 2010. We will acknowledge all responses. Please say whether you are responding as an individual, or on behalf of an organisation. If on behalf of an organisation, please make clear who the organisation represents, and how the views of members were obtained.
8.5 Copies of this publication can be made available in alternative formats if required. If you have any queries about this consultation, please contact us at the above address.
8.6 We are trialling an online consultation tool to make it easier for people to give us their views.
8.7 We have notified this consultation to a large number of people and organisations who have already been involved in this work or who have expressed an interest in it. Please share this document with, or tell us about, anyone you think will want to be involved in this consultation.
8.8 We will publish the responses to the consultation in a report on the consultations section of our website www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations. The report will summarise the responses and the action that we will take as a result of them.
Freedom of information
8.9 The information you send us may need to be passed to colleagues within the Department for Work and Pensions, published in a summary of responses received and referred to in the published consultation report.
8.10 All information contained in your response may be subject to publication or disclosure if requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. By providing personal information for the purposes of the public consultation exercise, it is understood that you consent to its disclosure and publication. If this is not the case, you should limit any personal information provided, or remove it completely. If you want the information in your response to the consultation to be kept confidential, you should explain why as part of your response, although we cannot guarantee to do this.
The consultation criteria
8.11 The consultation is being conducted in line with the Government Code of Practice on Consultation. The seven consultation criteria are:
- When to Consult. Formal consultation should take place at a stage when there is scope to influence the outcome.
- Duration of consultation exercises. Consultations should normally last for at least 12 weeks, with consideration given to longer timescales where feasible and sensible.
- Clarity of scope and impact. Consultation documents should be clear about the consultation process, what is being proposed, the scope to influence, and the expected costs and benefits of the proposals.
- Accessibility of consultation exercises. Consultation exercises should be designed to be accessible to, and clearly targeted at, those people the exercise is designed to reach.
- The burden of consultation. Keeping the burden of consultation to a minimum is essential if consultations are to be effective and if consultees’ buy-in to the process is to be obtained.
- Responsiveness of consultation exercises. Consultation responses should be analysed carefully and clear feedback should be provided to participants following the consultation.
- Capacity to consult. Officials running consultation exercises should seek guidance in how to run an effective consultation exercise, and share what they have learned from the experience.
Feedback on this consultation
8.12 We value your feedback on how well we consult. If you have any comments on the process of this consultation, for example, how it could be improved, but not about the issues raised, please contact our Consultation Coordinator:
Roger Pugh
DWP Consultation Coordinator
1st floor, Crown House
2, Ferensway, Hull HU2 8NF
01482 609571
Email: roger.pugh@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Impact assessment
8.13 The purpose of this document is to inform the general direction of reform of the Social Fund. We are seeking views on the options covered by this document in order to inform development of firm proposals. We are currently at a very early stage and, as such, it is not possible to fully assess the impact. However, an impact assessment will be produced (where appropriate) as part of the policy development process for any proposals that follow.
