Oral Answers to Questions

Neil Carmichael Excerpts

Wednesday 25th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Maude]

I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman. He is quite right to identify both the problem and the solution. The Northern Ireland economy will undoubtedly benefit from more private sector investment, from overseas or from within, with a smaller public sector.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

8. What steps he has taken to increase the accountability to Parliament and the public of senior civil servants.

[The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Mr Francis Maude)]

The Prime Minister can now exercise choice in making permanent secretary appointments. We have introduced fixed tenure for permanent secretaries. We publish their performance objectives, as well as improved management information, to allow them to be held to account. We have revised the Osmotherly rules to ensure that senior responsible owners are directly accountable to Parliament for project implementation and to allow former accounting officers to be called to Select Committees.

[Neil Carmichael]

Will the Paymaster General update the House on the role that Ministers might have in the performance review of permanent secretaries?

[Mr Maude]

We have now instituted a formal process where formal input must be provided by Ministers to the Cabinet Secretary and head of the civil service on the performance of their permanent secretaries. That input has to be taken into account as part of the end of year appraisal undertaken by the head of the civil service.