Duncan Smith urges greater social scheme scrutiny

Programmes to tackle social problems like teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse and joblessness should be submitted to independent scrutiny before they are launched to ensure they will deliver a return, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said today.

Mr Duncan Smith proposed the creation of an independent Social Return on Investment body, modelled on an organisation set up in the US state of Washington.

The Washington organisation reports directly to the state legislature - not the government - and is able to veto programmes which it calculates will not save the state money and transform lives over a five-year period.

Mr Duncan Smith's Centre for Social Justice think-tank will now develop proposals for a similar body in the UK, which could scrutinise existing programmes as well as assessing future plans.

"The British Government is spending billions of pounds every year on a host of programmes intended to tackle social problems," said Mr Duncan Smith today.

"Educational programmes for schools have been developed to tackle teenage pregnancy and drug abuse and training and back-to-work programmes have been developed for the long-term jobless.

"Yet, despite the billions of pounds spent, Britain continues to have some of the highest levels of teenage pregnancy and drug and alcohol consumption of all developed countries.

"Nearly six million working-age people remain jobless and around two-thirds of prisoners reoffend.

"If the Washington approach could be made to work in the UK, we could save the taxpayer a great deal of money and get real results from our social programmes."

The Social Return on Investment proposal forms the centrepiece of a programme of work for the CSJ set out by Mr Duncan Smith today.

The think-tank will also conduct an inquiry, supported by the sporting charity The Lord's Taverners, into the prospects for reviving competitive sport in the state school system in the hope of engaging inner-city youths and guiding them away from crime and drugs.

Mr Duncan Smith cited a recent survey suggesting that one in four children engages in no organised sport, rising to almost 60% among 16-19 year-olds.

And he said the last three Olympics had seen an average of 50% of British medal winners coming from fee-paying schools, even though they make up only 7% of pupils nationally.

Mr Duncan Smith said: "I personally believe that competitive games and sport in general can play a much bigger role in giving deprived and disaffected youngsters a second chance in life and teach them social, intellectual and physical skills that will help them overcome the obstacles they face at home and in their communities.

"This is not about identifying Olympic champions, but as the 2012 London Games draws nearer, it is about harnessing the inspirational qualities of sport to our national efforts to reverse social breakdown and widen opportunity."