Warning on politicising civil service

The union for senior civil servants has expressed its worries over the government’s announcement that it intends to commission a review of alternative civil service accountability models.

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, said the UK’s system of a permanent and politically impartial civil service is “a constitutional bedrock” and “in the clamour for change it is vital that its core values are not lost”.

“The FDA is not against change, but change that would damage the ability of civil servants to give impartial advice and would help ministers play to the party political gallery is to be firmly resisted,” he said

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude had announced that he was to commission an external organisation, such as a think tank or academic institution, to review how other governments and multilateral organisations are structured and how they operate. The winning bidder will be asked to make policy recommendations for how these approaches might be applied by the UK and will present these suggestions to the minister.

The review will specifically consider the New Zealand model of civil service accountability where there is a contractual relationship between ministers, who set clear outcomes, and heads of departments, who are accountable for delivering them. The review will also look at the models in the USA, France, Sweden, Singapore and Australia.

www.fda.org.uk/Media/Politicisation-threat-should-be-resisted-says-FDA.aspx

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/looking-abroad-next-steps-civil-service-reform-programme