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FOOTNOTES
1. Mordaunt, E. (2000) 'The emergence of multi-inspectorate inspections: "Going it alone is not an option"', Public Administration, 78(4), 751-769.
2. Adler, M (2006) 'Tribunal Reform: Proportionate Dispute Resolution and the Pursuit of Administrative Justice', Modern Law Review, 69(6), 958-985.
3. We were not able to confirm from discussion in the groups why audit was less frequently mentioned by participants. However, the nature of audit work and the methods involved perhaps suggest why this may be the case. These reasons may include the following. (1) The longstanding focus of audit on propriety and stewardship, while not excluding 'consumer' interests, is more oriented to meeting 'public interest' needs. (2) Public audit is perhaps regarded - and in large measure audit activities actually focus on - issues which relate to the propriety in the use of financial resources, and therefore as not relating directly to the issue of quality of service delivery. (3) More recent developments in public audit - such as the strengthening and broadening of internal audit within public bodies, and in particular the newer non-financial forms of external audit which had blossomed since the 'Citizen Charter' initiative of the early 1990s - which more closely fit 'consumer' interests, are not yet well known to service users and citizens.
4. It should be noted that HMIE do not have direct power to dismiss teachers.
5. Although, in practice, there is currently a split between the regulation of services and professional regulation.
6. A discussion of the rationale for including a group to consider scrutiny from a 'public interest' or 'citizen' perspective rather than a service user perspective, can be found in Chapter 1 above.
7. In addition to informing choice of service provider, scrutiny outcomes could also, in theory, inform choices between different types of service ( e.g. between a care home and hospital or between a nursery and a child minder). However, discussion of these types of decisions did not arise in any of the groups.
8. It is worth noting here that, in most public services, identifying user needs and priorities is normally achieved through a process of service planning and consultation. This is a separate matter from the setting of standards for the services identified as a result of that process. However, this is not a distinction that most service users would be aware of.
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