# Honest Politics Policy Application Template

## Status and use

This is the canonical working template for applying the Decision Standard. It is a structured record, not a substitute for analysis.

Use only the sections proportionate to the assigned scrutiny level. Mark a field Not applicable only with a brief reason. Do not use blank fields to conceal missing work.

The completed template may link to technical annexes rather than reproducing all analysis.

## Identity



- Policy ID:
- Title:
- Topic:
- Status:
- Territorial scope:
- Responsible institution:
- Scrutiny level:
- Owner:
- Version:
- Date:

## 1. Problem

- Condition:
- People affected:
- Scale and trend:
- Causes:
- Current policy:
- Main uncertainty:

## 2. Authority and constraints

- Government justification:
- Legal authority:
- Rights:
- Non-negotiable safeguards:
- Fiscal and delivery constraints:

## 3. Outcomes and counterfactual

- Primary outcome:
- Secondary outcomes:
- Guardrails:
- Counterfactual:
- Time horizon:

## 4. Options

- Longlist:
- Exclusions and reasons:
- Shortlist:
- Common comparison basis:

## 5. Evidence

| Claim | Evidence | Relevance | Strength | Conflict or gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|

## 6. Consequences

- Benefits:
- Public cost:
- Private and administrative cost:
- Opportunity cost:
- Indirect effects:
- Long-term effects:
- Non-monetised effects:
- Sensitivities:

## 7. Distribution and rights

- Winners:
- Losers:
- Risk bearers:
- Minimum-standard effect:
- Rights assessment:
- Mitigation:

## 8. Behaviour and misuse

- Likely responses:
- Gaming and fraud:
- Institutional incentives:
- Metric risk:
- Hostile-successor risk:
- Safeguards:

## 9. Delivery

- Accountable owner:
- Powers:
- Workforce:
- Technology and data:
- Procurement:
- Local and devolved roles:
- Transition:
- Cost and timetable range:
- Principal risks:

## 10. Legitimacy and challenge

- Representative opinion:
- Consultation:
- Affected experience:
- Expert review:
- Strongest objection:
- Response:

## 11. Decision

- Decision:
- Preferred option:
- Reason:
- Main cost:
- Main uncertainty:
- Conditions:
- Political judgement:
- What would change the decision:

## 12. Learning and review

- Baseline:
- Outcomes:
- Guardrails:
- Monitoring:
- Evaluation question:
- Evaluation design:
- Prediction entries:
- Review:
- Expansion rule:
- Amendment rule:
- Stop rule: