Reaching Out - Guidelines on Consultation for Public Sector Bodies
These Guidelines have been produced as a practical guide for use by Government Departments, public bodies and any other organisations that may wish to consult with stakeholders. The Guidelines will also be of use to those who are interested in participating and responding to consultations. In this context, they are aimed at giving stakeholders a clear sense of the standards of consultation that should be expected from public bodies. The Guidelines are particularly relevant to public bodies with regulatory responsibilities, as consultation in advance of making regulations is accepted good practice and, in a number of cases, mandatory.
While not designed as a prescriptive list, the Guidelines set out the different aspects that public bodies should consider when engaging in consultation. The different components of a consultation process are considered chronologically, highlighting three distinct stages of a consultation:
(a)planning
(b)execution
(c)analysis and evaluation
The Guidelines also outline the different methods of consultation and provide references to further useful information. Different methods of consultation suit different situations and the Guidelines identify a number of options for ongoing and once-off consultation methods. While the Guidelines acknowledge the existence, in many spheres, of ongoing consultation, this document is aimed primarily at providing guidance for the management of once-off consultation processes. The checklist for better consultation will help to ensure that all the important aspects of organising a consultation have been covered.
It is Government policy that consultation should become more widespread. It is, however, recognised that there will always be situations where consultation is neither practical nor desirable, for example, where security or confidentiality issues, or the need for emergency regulation, arises. Accordingly these Guidelines reflect the Government’s commitment to consult as widely as possible but are not designed to be legally binding.
These Guidelines will not override the discretion available to public bodies in how they formulate and develop policy or impinge on any existing legal / statutory obligations to consult which exist in respect of certain public bodies.
The greater use of consultation is likely to place demands on public bodies, some of which can be addressed through training interventions designed to meet the skills needs of public servants undertaking consultations. Such interventions include upgrading skills in evidence-based policy-making tools, such as Regulatory Impact Analysis.
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