Hutton: lessons to learn

A committee of MPs is to examine what lessons the government can learn from the outcome of the Hutton inquiry.

The Commons public administration committee has announced it is to examine the implications for Whitehall and the media machine.

Committee chairman Tony Wright said he would probe the issue once Lord Hutton had reported on the death of Dr Kelly.

The inquiry, which aims "to prevent future problems wherever they occur", is likely to call the government's outgoing communications chief Alastair Campbell.

"The Hutton inquiry is helping to answer many specific questions about the events leading to Dr Kelly's death," said Wright.

"But its remit is limited and inevitable it is raising a series of general concerns about wider issues of public administration which it is not designed to answer.

"These include the role of leadership and management across Whitehall and especially that of the home civil service and of the Cabinet Office as the department with overall responsibility for management of the service."

Wright added that the new inquiry was a "logical progression" from the committee's continuing examination of the work of the Cabinet Office and the "new centre" of government

"We have no intention of re-opening any previous inquiry or seeking to examine wider policy issues. In this inquiry we also plan to examine the implications of the conclusions of both Hutton and Phillis about the performance and approach of government press officers," he said.

"The government has already accepted some radical proposals for change in the management of the GICS and Number 10 press office and we will be seeking evidence both on that and on the Phillis report which will follow that of the Hutton inquiry.''