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The ‘bureaucrat bashers’ are only making things worse
Pruned hard, the civil service will be lost without new skills.
Last week the Civil Service Commission published its response to two proposals in the Civil Service Reform Plan for greater ministerial involvement in senior civil service appointments. The most discussed proposal would give ministers the right to choose their permanent secretaries from a number of candidates judged suitable by a selection panel. In our response, the commission actively supports the involvement of ministers in permanent secretary competitions and has agreed some further changes to strengthen that involvement. But we stop short of giving ministers a choice. That would, we believe, be a step too far.
The Social Mobility Strategy is facing a gale-force headwind
We were both honoured to attend and be part of the Civil Service Awards last month. From Stranraer to Bournemouth, the outstanding work of civil servants was celebrated – whether they’d delivered roads or the Olympics, run prisons or Jobcentres. In one evening we recognised the very best of the civil service and left in no doubt that we lead some of the most talented professionals.
Officials should publish more freely; the media more carefully
Digital technology offers tremendous opportunities for people of all ages. Being able to buy groceries or access a huge amount of information at the click of a button is fantastic, as is the ability to keep in touch with loved ones via email, video link and social media. However, although the opportunities offered online are immense, there are real challenges for some when it comes to getting digitally connected in the first place.
The UK has the highest rate of depression-related sickness in Europe, according to a recent survey by the European Depression Alliance. And alarmingly, over a third of the 792 managers surveyed said they have no formal support in place to help them deal with depressed employees. We have a very long way to go before we can say we’re properly supporting employers and employees in recognising and managing depression in the workplace. And this is certainly true within the civil service.
Never mind the NAO; ministers too hate a risk gone wrong
Efforts to reform the civil service are finally bearing fruit
Now more than ever, the census is vital in ensuring public services and funds are properly allocated, argues Simon Dennis
The MOD must store institutional knowledge in its armoury
Immediately after the election, the government blamed the top-down targets of the regional spatial strategies (RSS) for concreting over the countryside and creating unwanted development. Now we’re told that the planning system must get off people’s backs if the economy is to grow.
When Wikileaks founder Julian Assange sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy on 19 June, he created a dispute over when a diplomatic mission enjoys ‘inviolability’. The subject of an extradition request from Sweden for questioning on allegations of rape and sexual molestation, he’d exhausted legal remedies against his extradition when he entered the embassy, apparently with its prior agreement. So what does international law say?
Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration. This is the key to ensuring that government and industry deliver megaprojects as planned.
...and you’ll see the reform plan undergoing a mutation
The government’s Civil Service Reform Plan states: “Given ministers’ direct accountability to Parliament for the performance of their departments and for the implementation of their policy priorities, we believe they should have a stronger role in the recruitment of a permanent secretary.”
The biggest threat to civil service reform is a reshuffle
When the House of Commons this week began to debate the government’s House of Lords Reform Bill, it was dealing with a proposed piece of legislation which has at its heart two objectives: to make the Lords more democratic; and in doing so, to maintain the primacy of the Commons. It fails on both counts.
The government’s reform plans fall well short of the aim of creating a more professional civil service, says Dai Hudd
Good ideas on policymaking meet risky ones on accountability