HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Adding it Up to better public services [June 2002]
The press release issued by HM Treasury on 5 June 2002.
Further improvement in vital public services will be more readily achievable through a new website sharing evidence which underpins key Government policies, Chief Secretary Paul Boateng announced today.
Launching the website www.addingitup.gov.uk, Mr Boateng said:
“The Adding It Up website marks a significant further step forward in improving public services.
“It will enable Government Departments to enhance their store of important evidence used to determine the right policies to meet Government objectives, and to share the most up to date information about their own evidence base.
“It will further strengthen the policy making process and, perhaps most importantly, influence the research community and stimulate debate to generate positive approaches to make further progress in the vital area of public service improvement.”
Under the Adding It Up initiative major spending Departments have been asked to set out evidence organised according to their Public Service Agreement (PSA) Objectives. They have provided references to :
- the most important research that has informed policy choice
- set out work in progress that may influence future policy choices
- programmes already in place to strengthen the evidence base further.
The website actively seeks to stimulate debate with outside experts. Its aim is to give the research community wider perspectives on policy research priorities while also opening up Departments’ evidence bases, enabling them to gain insights from research activity being carried out elsewhere.
The initial information contained in the website will be regularly updated and expanded to reflect the debate generated and the improvement of the evidence base over time.
