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Cabinet Office to Review Territorial Ambiguity
The Cabinet Office tell me that they will consider issuing guidelines that encourage politicians to be clear about the territorial extent of announcements and press releases.
4 January 2010
Dear Cabinet Office,In light of devolution - now that Whitehall is increasingly concerned with England alone - I am interested in discovering if there are any cross-governmental guidelines when it comes to specifiying the territorial extent of policy announcements and press releases.
Please could you provide me with any rules or guidelines that have been issued to departments relating to whether reference should be made to England (ie. "This press notice relates to 'England'") in departmental policy statements and press releases (or similar documents), or about how such territorial references should be dealt with.
Yours faithfully,
Gareth Young
19 January 2010
Dear Mr Young,I apologise for the delay in getting back to you.
I have checked with colleagues in the Cabinet Office and they have advised me the information found at the following link should answer your request regarding territorial extent of policy announcements and press releases.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/121707/workingwiththedevolvedadmin...
If you have any further queries regarding this request please get in touch and we will take it forward.
Kind regards,
Yasmine Edwards
FOI Team
Cabinet Office
Tel: 020 7276 2473
3 February 2010
Dear Yasmine,I've looked through the information that you've pointed me towards and I can't find reference to any guidlines on specifying the territorial extent of policy in announcements and press releases.
For example, this foreword by Gordon Brown, the territorial extent of which is England, he never mentions England.
http://www.hmg.gov.uk/workingtogether/forward.aspx
There are numerous examples like this on various government websites. A minister might be talking about 'schools in this country' or 'our NHS' without specifying whether he is talking about schools in England or schools across the whole of Britain, or the NHS in England or all four Health Services. The same applies to policing, transport, environment, or any matter in which competence has been wholly or partially devolved.
Is there any guidance for politicians and public servants on this matter, so that they are clearer about what territory it is that they are talking about?
Best,
Gareth Young
17 February 2010
Dear Mr Young,The devolution guidance we directed you to encourages clarity about the territorial extent of policy but we accept the point that it is not explicit that announcements and press releases should also be clear on this. We will consider this for the next revision.
Kind regards,
Zara Smart
FOI Team
Cabinet Office
Room 1.18
70 Whitehall London SW1A 2AS
I'll believe it when I see it.
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I e-mailed the Electoral Commission about Julie from Llandudno but apparently it “is not responsible for the conduct of political parties, or their election campaigns”.
I can see why it would be difficult for the Commission to be drawn into adjudicating on the accuracy of dozens of claims in electoral literature ... yet the territoral extent of policies is such a basic piece of information it must surely go to the heart of the integrity of elections.
Pathetic isn't it. Clearly stating the part of the UK they are discussing, or making promises about, might require a bit of thought, but it's hardly rocket-science.
You have to conclude that there is some strategic reason for the ambiguity.
Good post from Wonko on this very subject today.
Gordon is a lost cause but why are the Tories emulating him? I can’t recall such obvious misinformation back in 2005. Is it because this election is seen as a ‘change’ election where the stakes are much higher and the Tories have decided that simplicity of message overrides all other considerations? Or could it be the influence of a former London newspaper editor at the heart of their operations?
Carwyn Jones had to correct Andy Marr about Michael Gove being in charge of 'schools in Britain' the other day. What's strange is that Scots have always been very proud of their separate education system. It's about the last thing you would expect to get conflated in this way.
Andrew Marr, of all people, should know better. He wrote the book "The Battle for Scotland" and has numerous works about Britain. He knows full well that Michael Gove isn't in charge of British schools, and the English Question is something Marr has been conscious of for a long time.