Civil Service Reform

Debate between Charlotte Leslie and Lord Maude of Horsham

Tuesday 19th June 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Maude]

If it were possible for us to encapsulate the spirit and the culture that we want to see in the civil service in a few phrases, my hon. Friend would just have done so.

[Charlotte Leslie (Bristol North West) (Con)]

Bristol is currently negotiating its exciting city deal, which will create a revolution in regional growth. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that the reforms will enable the civil service—particularly in the vital Department for Transport, which oversees the infrastructure for growth—to be as dynamic, growth-focused and, indeed, business-minded as Bristol, our regions and the nation need it to be?

[Mr Maude]

My hon. Friend makes a powerful point. In whatever we do, we need to focus on what we are trying to achieve rather than on whether we are undergoing an agreeable process, and that needs to be done with pace.