Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence


Supplementary memorandum by the Regional Co-ordination Unit (UWP 117A)

  When I appeared before the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Select Committee on 12 April, I undertook to write with information about the number of senior civil servants with Government Office experience.

  The Regional Co-ordination Unit has obtained the information below from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department for Education and Employment—the three "parent" Departments of the Government Offices.

  Information about senior civil servants is not held uniformly by all three Departments and for this reason, I am unable to provide the Committee with an overall figure of the senior civil servants in question. However, I have disaggregated figures for the three Departments, based on their respective criteria—although I should stress that these differ widely. I hope, nonetheless, that the Committee will be able to gain an overall view of the numbers involved.

  In DETR, approximately 25 per cent of Senior Civil Servants, or 51 people, have had Government Office experience. This figure does not include DETR Senior Civil Servants currently on loan to other Government Departments or in DETR agencies. The 25 per cent figure is based on data going back to 1970.

  In DTI, approximately 9 per cent of Senior Civil Servants, or 22 people, have had Government Office experience. This figure does include DTI Senior Civil Servants currently on loan to other Government Departments but does not include those working in DTI agencies. The 9 per cent figure is based on data going back to 1988, when the DTI computer records holding such information were set up.

  In DfEE approximately, 11 per cent of Senior Civil Servants, or 15 people, have had Government Office experience. This figure does include DfEE Senior Civil Servants currently on loan to other Government Departments but does not include those working in DfEE agencies. The 11 per cent figure is based on data going back to 1 April 1996, when the Senior Civil Service was established in DfEE.

  As I said to the Committee, I want there to be an environment where working in a regional office is a worthwhile career move, and where there is as much interchange as possible between departmental headquarters and regional offices. I and Ministerial colleagues fully endorse the recommendation in the PIU report "Reaching Out" that Government Offices and Whitehall should actively plan for greater interchange of staff between functions within the same region. This is fully in line with Sir Richard Wilson's report of December 1999 to the Prime Minster, "A civil service for the 21 century", which forms part of the wider Modernising Government agenda. We want to encourage greater mobility between Departments and externally through secondments. In future, staff will need experience of frontline delivery and of working in more than one type of organisation to reach the senior civil service.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton QC

Minister of State Cabinet Office

21 May 2000


 
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