Lords Committee to quiz Government on success of behaviour change policies
On Tuesday 24 June the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee is to quiz Government minister Oliver Letwin MP on its policy of nudging people into changing their lifestyles.
The evidence session is the final one in its short follow-up investigation into behaviour change, with a specific task of asking how the Government has evaluated its policies.
The Committee first issued a report in 2011 looking at how the Government can influence the behaviour of the population. It has now returned to the issue, looking at Government interventions in health and transport as examples.
Evidence will be heard at 11.40am from Oliver Letwin MP, Minister for Government Policy.
Questions he will be asked include:
- Now that the Behavioural Insights Team's role has been mutualised, how will you evaluate its effectiveness and value for money?
- Why has the Government elected not to employ a chief social scientist who could help to coordinate these activities?
- Why is the cross-Governmental archive of behaviour change programmes, both successful and unsuccessful, not publicly available?
- Why isn't the Government publishing its data as fully as possible?
- Does there come a point where nudging is not enough? And then what happens?
- How do behaviour change policies work alongside the push to carry out more local initiatives?
The evidence session will be held on Tuesday 24 June, at 11.40 in Committee Room 4 of the House of Lords.
