Lord Privy Seal ( of Basildon):
I am making this statement on behalf of
the Prime Minister to bring to the attention of the House the
following changes to the Machinery of Government.
Today, we are fundamentally rewiring the state, changing the
geography of government to deliver a stronger, more strategic
centre that empowers local leaders, and acts as the engine room
for driving economic growth across the whole country.
To ensure places are at the very heart of government strategy,
the Prime Minister is establishing No.10 North as the engine room
of devolution and good growth in every postcode, across
government and the wider economy. This will include targeted
transfers of overarching strategic functions: moving local
economic growth and devolution strategy from the Ministry of
Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and local
economic growth policy from HM Treasury directly into No 10
North. These departments will continue to exercise some remaining
functions in these areas. This ensures that local economic growth
policy and regional empowerment are no longer isolated from one
another, establishing No 10 North as the dominant driver of the
UK's economy.
To ensure the centre of government is focused on our top
strategic priorities, the Prime Minister is creating an Office
for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (OPMC), which will house
No 10, No 10 North and teams within the Cabinet Office directly
serving the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The department will
additionally oversee a new OneGov Delivery Agency which will
manage operational services at arm's length, including the
Government Recruitment Service, Pensions, Shared Services
strategy, and Security Vetting. The OPMC will be led by the
Cabinet Secretary.
The functions of the Department for Science, Innovation and
Technology (DSIT) will be redistributed to align with our core
economic and social agenda, embedded as vital engines of growth
exactly where they can have the most direct impact. This move
recognises that technology and innovation are not separate
sectors of our economy they are the foundation of all future
industry, culture, and public service delivery.
Recognising that the transformative scale of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) advances requires a strategic,
whole-of-government approach from the centre, the Prime Minister
is establishing a new AI Taskforce within the OPMC. Supported by
a Prime Ministerial adviser on AI, this central team will drive
the Government's overall strategy on AI to unlock the
opportunities it holds for growth, prosperity and public sector
transformation. The Cabinet Office will also take the lead on AI
adoption across the Civil Service, reflecting the urgency of
delivering that transformation for the benefit of people across
the country. To deliver this step change, responsibility for AI
strategy, public sector AI adoption and the AI Security Institute
will move to the Cabinet Office
A strengthened Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
(DCMS) will bring together the current DCMS remit with
responsibility for digital foundations, digital transformation,
digital inclusion and skills, information resilience and online
harms. This provides critical scale and recognises that culture
and technology are inseparable drivers of our modern economy,
while bringing coherence to the online safety agenda. It also
emphasises our commitment that bringing together levers to
support youth policy online and in real life will build a
stronger package of support for young people.
To signify our global leadership in science and innovation and
the continuing role they play in the UK economy, the Department
for Business and Trade will be renamed as the Department for
Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST). It will take on
responsibility for the science and innovation portfolio, as well
as emerging sectors. This will align our science and research
base directly with commercial application and job creation.
As part of this overall restructuring, several functions will
move out of the Cabinet Office to slim down the centre of
government and align them with departments suited to their
purpose: the Office for Equality and Opportunity will move to the
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; the Office
for Impact Economy and responsibility for policy on digital
identity will move to DCMS; the Public Sector Fraud Authority
will move to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with
continued central sponsorship from HM Treasury; and the
Investment Security Unit will move to DBIST.
Where possible, these Machinery of Government changes will take
practical effect from today.
