From vision to reality – sector responsibility in disability policy

Sector responsibility involves an enhanced mandate for government agencies with sector responsibility to drive development in their sector. The following are government agencies with sector responsibility: the Swedish Public Employment Service, the Swedish Work Environment Authority, the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, the National Heritage Board, the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Swedish Arts Council and the National Agency for Education.

The Swedish National Audit Office’s assessment is that, within the scope of their sector responsibility, government agencies with sector responsibility work partially effectively to be unifying, supportive and active with regard to other stakeholders in society. The audit also shows that government agencies with sector responsibility carry out a wide range of activities and initiatives – several of which are recurring and long-term. At the same time, there are significant variations in the government agencies’ level of activity. They interpret, apply and view their sector responsibility on disability policy in different ways. Some government agencies have progressed considerably further than others in their role as a government agency with sector responsibility. The Swedish National Audit Office considers that this is because these government agencies have taken a more proactive approach. Sector responsibility represents an opportunity to help entire areas of society progress toward the objectives set out by the Government. The Swedish National Audit Office considers that, to be able to more uniformly and effectively apply their mandate, government agencies need clearer direction on which to focus their disability policy efforts.

As part of the Government’s management, a strategy for systematic follow-up of disability policy in 2021–2031 has been developed, to be followed by an action plan in 2026. The audit shows that the Government’s disability policy strategy has helped bring disability issues to the attention of government agencies to a greater degree. At the same time, the Swedish National Audit Office notes that the Government’s demand to increase follow-up does not in itself mean that concrete measures towards the national disability policy objectives are being taken.

The Swedish National Audit Office considers that it is unclear what the disability policy strategy aims to achieve. The government agencies with sector responsibility are mentioned in the strategy, but it is not clear how they are to contribute their specific sector responsibilities. The strategy places high demands on government agencies’ ability to interpret and translate the disability policy tasks into practical action. This applies in particular to the interpretation of sector responsibility. It also concerns what requirements for measures the Government’s strategy generally imposes on the government agencies.

The Government needs to clarify, together with the government agencies, what special sector responsibility entails and how the role of being unifying, supportive and active can contribute to further work on the strategy. In this respect, the Swedish Agency for Participation can provide support by offering platforms and channels for the exchange of experience between government agencies with sector responsibility on how work on this responsibility can be further developed. To improve the effectiveness of the Government’s management and contribute to a comprehensive approach to disability policy, the Swedish National Audit Office considers that the Government’s strategy needs to be made more specific and more clearly map out the way forward. It should be possible to do this within the framework of the action plan that the Government plans to apply in the years 2026–2031.

The Swedish National Audit Office also notes that there are no government agencies with sector responsibility related to disability policy in several important and major sectors today, such as transport, the judicial system, consumer policy and procurement. To ensure that sector responsibility can become fully effective as a policy instrument for a broad cross-sectional perspective of disability policy, there may be reason to give government agencies such increased responsibility in additional sectors. The Swedish National Audit Office considers that it is reasonable to review over time which government agencies are best suited to be assigned sector responsibility, taking into account the agency’s conditions and the development of society. Such a review could be aimed primarily at the group of government agencies that are already covered by the Government’s strategy for systematic follow-up of disability policy in 2021–2031.