Public sector jargon 'causing people tangible harm'
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Some public sector jargon is so confusing that its victims
should have the right to have those responsible investigated for
maladministration, MPs said today.
An influential Commons committee said Government gobbledegook was
so bad that people were suffering "tangible harm" such as missing
out on benefits.
Anyone affected should make formal complaints to watchdogs if their
concerns were not taken seriously, the public administration select
committee said.
The call for impenetrable language to be taken seriously as well as
mocked followed an investigation of the lack of plain English used
by politicians and civil servants.
The committee also warned that the use of euphemisms such as
"extraordinary rendition" and "collateral damage" to hide
unpleasant realities was fuelling public cynicism with
politics.
"Long, complex official forms, officious letters and confusing
requests for information can all deter individuals from attempting
to deal with public authorities," the committee concluded.
"This is particularly worrying when it prevents people from getting
the benefits or services to which they are entitled.
"We believe that the use of inaccurate, confusing or misleading
official language which results in tangible harm, such as
preventing individuals from receiving benefits or public services,
should be regarded as maladministration.
"People should be encouraged to complain about cases of bad
official language directly to the body concerned and government
needs to take such complaints of maladministration seriously.
"Failure to do so would provide grounds for people to complain to
the relevant Ombudsman about poor official language."
The committee, which took evidence from anti-jargon campaigners,
linguists and MPs, found that "distorting or evasive language is
routinely practised by both politicians and civil servants".
"The unlovely language of this unreal world floats along on a
linguistic sea of roll-outs, step changes, public domains, fit for
purposes, stakeholder engagements, across the pieces, win-wins,
level playing fields and going forwards," it said.
Former home secretary David Blunkett mocked some of the language
used by his civil servants.
"They have wonderful phrases like 'stand ready' which actually
means 'we're doing nothing about this unless we're absolutely
forced to do so'," he told the committee in evidence.
Sterile jargon was "the enemy of clear thought", the committee
said, pointing the finger at the influence of the business world,
especially management consultancy.
Labour MP Tony Wright, who chairs the committee, said: "Good
government requires good language, while bad language is a sign of
poor government.
"Far too often, government uses language that obscures, confuses or
evades.
"We propose that cases of bad official language should be treated
as 'maladministration', as for any other type of poor
administration.
"Complaints made on this basis must be dealt with properly. This
would help ensure that government takes seriously its
responsibility to use good, clear and understandable
language."
A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "We recognise the power of
language and we endeavour to communicate clearly at all
times.
"Ensuring the public understand Government policies and can get
access to easily understood information is essential.
"We accept that we have not always achieved this goal, but we
refute any suggestion that language has been used to mislead or
obscure.
"We welcome today's report and will respond to it once we have
considered the recommendations."
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