| Synopsis: |
Third sector organisations include charities and not-for-profit organisations as well as social enterprises. The Government has been commissioning more public service deliveries from such organisations and the Committee, in this report, seeks to assess the impact of that policy approach, looking at the effects on government and the service users as well as the public at large.The main claim for the use of third sector delivery service is that they can deliver a distinctive service that will improve the outcomes for service users. The Committee could not find evidence to corroborate that claim and believes that the Government's priority ought to be a greater understanding of the needs of the users of particular services and identifying the organisation best placed to fulfil such services.The Committee believes that such appointments should be based on merit as established through the tendering process but that importance lies with the commissioning authorities designing service specifications which play to the strengths of the best placed organisations.The Committee further states that 'intelligent commissioning' is key and that judgements about the use of a contract or grants, the importance of price on who wins the contract, and whether there is scope for innovative methods of service delivery are important in getting the best result.The Committee also identifies risks and states that it is important that users of such services should not be affected, whether a service is provided directly by the State or contracted out. The Committee also believes that the "1998 Human Rights Act" (ISBN 9780105442981) and the "2000 Freedom of Information Act" (ISBN 9780105436003) should be extended to cover all organisations providing public service.The accompanying "Public Services and the Third Sector: Rhetoric and Reality - Volume II: Oral and Written Evidence" ("HC 112-II")' (ISBN 9780215521552) is available to purchase separately, please see below. |