The Initial Operations: 1960–62

While the Plowden Committee’s interim reports had been going through their final stages in the early summer of 1960, the next steps were being developed. There were three essential things to be done: (1)to make a statistical apparatus for the ‘Plowden’ operations — definitions, classification, accounting conventions — and find the people to do it;(2)to educate the departments in the concepts of the new system, and to persuade them of its value — without this, it was impossible to imagine carrying out operations of the seriousness and complexity that were envisaged;(3)most important of all, to persuade Ministers to accept the implications of the new system — the prospectus was straight common sense, which nobody could sensibly resist, but the implementation was certain to be full of difficulty, and probably disadvantageous for the interests of some Ministers.