The coronavirus crisis has brought data into government decision making like never before. From the contact tracing app to the A Level algorithm fiasco it has brought the use of personal data to the fore. Central and local government are investing in data platforms and automated decision making and artificial intelligence systems – and increasingly wondering how data from the private and charitable sectors can help. What does all this mean for how government operates? How can the better use of data help with the post-Covid economic recovery and what are the benefits and risks of governments, companies and charities with more data at their fingertips?

This event was part of the IfG's fringe events programme at the 2021 Labour Party Conference in Brighton.

Speakers:

Darren Jones MP, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
Richard Earley, UK Public Policy Manager at Facebook
Genevieve Maitland Hudson, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Social Investment Business
Olivier Thereaux, Head of Research and Development at the Open Data Institute

This event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate of the Institute for Government.

Kindly supported by Facebook.

What can we learn from the use of data during the pandemic?

The UK government has faced criticism over its approach to standards, but it is not the only government around the world – or even within the UK – grappling with these questions.

With other governments taking different approaches to setting and upholding rules for standards in public life, this panel discussion will explore what the UK can learn about upholding standards from governments across the world, what role parliaments play in this process and whether standards need a stronger legislative basis.

We were joined by:

Mario Dion, Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner of the Canadian Parliament
Duncan Hames, Director of Policy Transparency International UK
Dr Melissa McCullough, Commissioner for Standards at the Northern Ireland assembly
This event was chaired by Tim Durrant, Associate Director at the Institute for Government.

#IfGstandards

What can the UK learn from how other governments uphold standards?

In the past year, the public appointments process has been in the public eye with allegations of politicisation. The process is much misunderstood and there is widespread uncertainty about the balance between the principles of fair and open competition and decision making by ministers. Is that balance now under threat? And what other roles should be formally regulated? What are the barriers to expanding the range of people serving on the boards of arms-length bodies?

In the closing speech of our conference, Peter Riddell, who was the Commissioner for Public Appointments until September 2021, gave his thoughts on how the appointment process can be improved.

Dr Matthew Gill, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, responded to Peter’s speech. This event was chaired by Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.

#IfGstandards

Peter Riddell: how the public appointments process can be improved

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 month's event, the 24th in our series, the speakers presented their work in an exciting, quickfire format. Each speaker had eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of questions from the audience.

This month's speakers were:

Harry Lee, Deputy Director, Data Protection and Data Rights at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on the government's 'Data: a new direction' consultation.
Selvin Brown MBE, Senior Responsible Officer – Net Zero Building Delivery at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Alastair Vetch, Client Service Partner at Slalom, on establishing a culture of data-led policy delivery
Brhmie Balaram, Head of AI Research & Ethics at NHSX AI Lab, on the work of the AI Ethics Initiative and the ethical questions it is addressing about the use of AI in health and care
Toby Jolly, Grants Reporting and Analysis Lead at the Cabinet Office, on using automation to make government grantmaking more transparent.
The event was chaired by Gavin Freeguard, Associate at the Institute for Government.

We took questions virtually during the event via the integrated event chat.

Data Bites #24: getting things done with data in government

As part of our ongoing series of events on the future of devolution across the UK, the Institute for Government was delighted to welcome Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and leader of the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Six months after his re-election to a second term in office, Andy Street – who was in conversation with Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government – discussed his role as a ‘metro mayor’, the constraints he faces in the role, and how metro mayors can help deliver the government’s levelling up and net zero objectives.

Andy Street started his career at the John Lewis Partnership in 1985 as a trainee at Brent Cross and rose to become the managing director in 2007. He resigned in order to stand for election, and was successfully elected in May 2017 as the Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands. He was subsequently re-elected to this position in May 2021.

#IfGDevo

In conversation with Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands

As part of our ongoing series of events on devolution and the Union, the Institute for Government was delighted to welcome John Swinney MSP, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland.

What is the state of the relationship between the UK and Scottish governments? How well is devolution working for Scotland? What are the current tensions in the devolved settlement and how can they be resolved?

John Swinney, who is also Scotland’s cabinet minister for Covid recovery, gave a short speech before being in conversation with Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, and programme lead for devolution.

John Swinney has been an MSP since 1999, and currently represents Perthshire North. From 1998 to 2000, he served as deputy leader of the SNP, and then as party leader between 2000 and 2004. He has previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy, and as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills. He has been Deputy First Minister since 2014.

#IfGDevo

Devolution and Scotland after the pandemic: John Swinney MSP

How we are taxed will be crucial to how government pays for net zero. It can use the tax system to incentivise sustainable choices by businesses and consumers as well as disincentivise harmful ones. But government revenues will also fall as people and businesses adapt their behaviour to reduce carbon emissions, with the shift to electric vehicles set to eliminate fuel duties.

So what changes are needed to ensure the tax system raises revenue to fund public interventions, redistributes the costs of getting to net zero, and shores up the tax take as fuel duties decline?

This event was held after a busy autumn of net zero strategies, a budget and COP26. It asked how the government should adapt the tax system to reach net zero and whether the budget was a missed opportunity, look at the steps being taken in other countries, and set out how to overcome the barriers – political and otherwise – to reform.

On our panel to discuss these issues:

Rt Hon David Gauke, Head of Public Policy at Macfarlanes LLP and former Financial Secretary to the Treasury

James Murray MP, Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury

Chris Stark, Chief Executive of the Committee on Climate Change

Amanda Tickel, Head of Tax & Trade Policy for Deloitte UK

The event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

This event is kindly supported by Deloitte LLP.

#IfGnetzero

Reaching net zero – is the tax system ready?

Having 'taken back control’ of the UK border after Brexit, the government has ended free movement of people and introduced a new points-based immigration system.

But 10 months on, the UK labour market is under pressure, with a combination of Covid-19, Brexit, and other structural forces causing widespread shortages of workers.

To what extent has the new immigration regime contributed to these labour problems? Is the UK worse affected than other countries? Will there be longer-term benefits from the new immigration regime? Has Brexit made the UK more or less able to address labour market issues? And how is the government making the most of its new-found control?

To discuss these issues, we were joined by an expert panel:

Seema Farazi, Partner, Financial Services, Immigration and Brexit at EY
Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory
Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government
Paul Wilson, Policy Director at the Federation of Small Businesses
The event was chaired by Dr Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government.

Brexit and immigration: is taking back control helping the UK economy?

The use of data has been at the forefront of the government’s handling of Brexit shocks and the Covid-crisis. But how can data best be used to address government priorities such as net zero, “levelling up”, and tackling the social and economic scarring from the pandemic?

This IfG event discussed how improvements can be made to the way governments identify data and use it to help make decisions. What have the experiences of Brexit and the pandemic revealed about the government’s use of data? What are the limits of data-driven decision making? How can governments better tap into external data expertise?

On our panel to discuss these questions were:

John Burn-Murdoch, Chief Data Reporter at the Financial Times
Jane Duncan, Partner, Workforce Advisory, EY
Niamh McKenna, Chief Information Officer at NHS Resolution
Matt Warman MP, former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Digital Infrastructure
The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

Lessons from shocks and crises: how data can deliver for government

What does it mean to be a member of parliament? What do people expect from their elected representatives? And how much have these expectations changed in recent years?

The row about MPs’ second jobs has triggered a discussion about what MPs are for and what their priorities should be. From representing constituents and dealing with casework to scrutinising government and improving legislation, MPs have many responsibilities.

So how should an MP divide his or her time? How has this changed over recent years? Should MPs be taking on extra paid work outside parliament? And what do constituents ultimately want from their representative?

To discuss these questions and more, the IfG brought together an expert panel:

Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary, University of London
Sir Peter Bottomley, Conservative MP for Worthing West
Ben Lake, Plaid Cymru MP for Ceredigion
Marie Le Conte, political journalist and author
This event was chaired by Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.

#IfGParliament

What do we want from our MPs?

The Institute for Government was pleased to welcome the Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow First Secretary of State, to deliver a keynote speech setting out how Labour would reform the systems that govern standards in public life. She was then in conversation with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government.

The row over Owen Paterson’s paid lobbying and the wider debate it has stimulated about MPs’ second jobs have again brought into the spotlight the systems designed to uphold ethical standards in public life. As well as the codes and institutions governing MPs, the rules about how ministers should behave and the processes that uphold these standards have been called into question.

In her speech, Angela Rayner set out how Labour would redesign those rules, strengthen existing standards bodies and put new institutions in place to uphold standards in public life.

Angela Rayner has been the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne since 2015. She holds a number of roles including: Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work; Shadow Deputy Prime Minister; Shadow First Secretary of State and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

Angela Rayner MP: how Labour would rebuild trust in public life

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What can we learn from the use of data during the pandemic?

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