Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office: our vision
The Cabinet Office sits at the centre of government, with the overarching purpose of making government work better. We support the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Cabinet, helping to ensure effective development, coordination and implementation of policy and operations across all government departments. We also lead work to ensure that the Civil Service provides the most effective and efficient support to the Government to help it meet its objectives.
Improve efficiency
Through the Efficiency and Reform Group, we will be at the centre of efforts to achieve more for less. This means a reduction in wasteful Whitehall spending on consultancy, information and communications technology, property and advertising, and leveraging the Government’s buying power to reduce spending on commodities. Our focus on achieving more for less also means a transformation in how the state interacts with citizens, by making more use of efficient and effective web-based solutions. Technology will no longer be focused on the development of huge, proprietary and risky systems, but instead on more open, flexible and local solutions.
Big Society
The Cabinet Office will support departments to open up public service delivery to a whole range of new providers, helping to build the Big Society. We will change structures so that public sector provision is more open to voluntary organisations, social enterprises and small businesses. We will help shift the balance of activities away from the state and empower people and communities by catalysing the creation of cooperatives, mutuals and joint ventures.
We will give taxpayers the ability to hold public servants to account and enable users of public services to choose between providers, by delivering greater transparency in central government and across public services. At the same time, we will make it easier to run charities and voluntary organisations, overhaul their relationship with the state, grow the social investment market and support the growth of social capital in neighbourhoods. One of our central tasks will be building National Citizen Service into a programme that helps build a more cohesive, responsible and engaged society.
Political reform
Through the Deputy Prime Minister’s Group, we will rebalance power and accountability between state, communities and the citizen, and increase civil liberties. Major political reform measures will include fixed term parliaments, reform of both Houses of Parliament, and giving the electorate more of a say in how MPs are elected and held to account.
Social mobility
The Government has identified improving social mobility as its principal social policy goal. We will work across government to make life chances more equal so that what counts is how hard you work and the skills and talents you possess, not the school you went to or the jobs your parents did.
National security
The National Security Secretariat will support the effective operation of the new National Security Council, prepare for and manage the coordination of the Government’s response to crises, plan and manage a transformative cyber security programme for the UK, and develop a better framework for the management of national security and intelligence material in the courts. The Joint Intelligence Organisation will ensure that the Government’s decisions on foreign, defence and security policy are informed by timely, accurate and objectively assessed all-source intelligence assessments.
By reforming and coordinating, driving efficiency and transparency, and helping to build the Big Society, we want the Cabinet Office, which includes the Prime Minister’s Office, to return to its historical role at the centre of government. We will work closely with Her Majesty’s Treasury to ensure that the Coalition works effectively in its mission to bring greater freedom, fairness and responsibility to our country.
Cabinet Office: our priorities
Drive efficiency and effectiveness in government
Make central government more efficient and effective, by spending taxpayers’ money more wisely, abolishing unnecessary quangos and reforming the Civil Service.
Increase transparency in the public sector
Publish information that will give taxpayers the ability to hold public servants to account and enable users of public services to choose between providers.
Reform our political and constitutional system
Support efforts to give power to people and communities by redistributing control away from Britain’s over-centralised state.
Build the Big Society
Build the Big Society by promoting community empowerment, opening up public services and encouraging social action.
Promote social mobility
Help to deliver a fairer, more open and more mobile society.
Other major responsibilities
Support effective cabinet government
Ensure that the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have access to high quality advice and briefing to support their cross-government responsibilities.
Ensure that the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Minister for Government Policy have access to high quality advice and briefing.
Support the development, coordination and implementation of the Government’s economic, domestic, EU and global policy objectives.
Support the effective operation of the National Security Council by preparing for and managing the coordination of the Government’s response to crises, planning and managing a transformative cyber security programme for the UK, and developing a better framework for the management of national security and intelligence material in the courts.
Parliamentary Counsel
Support the delivery of the Government’s legislative programme, the management of the Government’s Parliamentary business and the highest standards of legislative drafting.
Useful links
- Cabinet Office website
- Big Society
- National Security
- Constitutional reform
- Government efficiency
- Transparency
