Facing a new task?

Monday, March 08, 2010

Writing exclusively for Public Servant, Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell explains how the civil service is getting its house in order with a new set of rules in preparation for a general election – and the real possibility of a hung parliament

There is a popular perception – inspired by Yes, Minister and fuelled by the Thick of It – that civil servants see elections and the democratic process in general as trifling interruptions to their steady stewardship of the state. This couldn't be more wrong. When I talk to civil servants about their work in serving the public, I am constantly inspired by their passion for democracy. Civil servants understand that their roles are shaped by the momentous collective decision taken in a general election.

This year's general election comes at a critical moment. The task facing the new government is huge. There is cross-party consensus on the need for a substantial reduction in our record deficit. This is the greatest public policy challenge for a generation. The tough task for the government, supported by the civil service, is to achieve these savings while continuing to provide high quality public services.

As we all know, the election is hotly contested and there can be no presumption of any outcome. This uncertainty underscores the importance of one thing the civil service is very good at: preparing for all eventualities. As a civil servant now for 31 years, it is remarkable that I have served only two administrations. The UK has become used to majority governments serving for long periods, and the civil service has been making contingency plans for the return of another majority government – of any party. But, we have also been considering an outcome that has been less common in recent years: a hung parliament.

I gave evidence to the House of Commons Justice Committee, who are looking at the possibility of a hung parliament. I was able to explain to them that the work we have been doing to look at election outcomes sits within our wider work to develop a Cabinet Manual. Our aim is to bring together all the existing, unwritten, piecemeal conventions that have governed for so long much of the way that central government operates. We are taking our lead from New Zealand, which published its Cabinet Manual in 2008.

Some argue for a written constitution. Eight hundred years on from Magna Carta, there is still dispute about whether a written constitution is necessary or beneficial. Whatever your views on that, the proposed Cabinet Manual should play a crucial role in explaining more transparently how our unwritten constitution works.

But, for civil servants, regardless of the uncertainty of the election, our role in the months ahead remains clear and unchanged. We will provide the government with advice in developing its policies and expertise in implementing the policies it wishes to pursue. And this will be done as it always has been, in an honest, impartial and objective way. Given the scale of the challenges ahead, never before has the ability to give professional and impartial advice been so important. But then, never before has the civil service been so ready to respond.

In the past four years, every part of the civil service has seen reform. We have taken such a hard-nosed view of our capability – through the introduction of capability reviews – that some commentators have been taken aback by what they saw as "self-flagellation." But, it has paid off.

If you look at our capability, concerted action has brought about big improvements in our leadership, recruitment and levels of professionalisation amongst our staff. Skills gaps have been systematically addressed. The civil service is now more professional across all areas with scientists, project managers and many others bringing their skills to bear on policy making and implementation. For the first time, every ministerial department has a qualified finance director and more than a third of our most senior HR leaders have been recruited as specialists. Our analytical strength has never been better. We have more professionals in disciplines like economics, social research and statistics.

Capability isn't the only area where there have been big changes. We have been making sustained efforts to ensure our workforce better reflects the communities we serve. The civil service is now more diverse and representative than it has ever been and has set the pace for major private sector employers to follow.

Women now hold more than half of all civil service jobs and many of those jobs are at the very top. The latest figures show that 28 per cent of our top management posts are held by women. One-in-four private sector companies don't have a single woman on their board. And recent research has exploded traditional myths about the people often called "mandarins". It shows that the vast majority of the most senior 200 civil servants – about two thirds – went to a state school. That is higher than the proportion for many other professions, such as journalists, judges and medics.

But we haven't just changed who we are, we have also changed the way we do business.

One example of this approach caused some journalists at the beginning of this year to remark that a "revolution" and even a "minor miracle" had taken place in Whitehall. The revolution they were referring to was the launch of data.gov.uk, which in the space of just a few months has opened up an unprecedented amount of government data for free to anyone who wants to use it. I agree with those who said this initiative has the "potential to transform the relationship between the citizen and the state". It gives people another building block to help grow their businesses and it empowers people to come up with personalised solutions that will save the taxpayer money.

But, projects like data.gov are just the start. Whatever the outcome of the election, there is a growing consensus that more control should be given to local communities. These changes will impact on us all, and will no doubt in future lead to a smaller, more professional civil service. Again, our track record is strong. The civil service has generally been declining in size over recent years. And we have been getting more efficient. In the last few years we have over-delivered on our efficiency targets by £5bn and over-delivered on our targets to move posts out of London and the South East. The latest figures show 74 per cent of civil servants now work in other parts of the UK.

So, while the timing of pressing economic issues, combined with political uncertainty may pose some unique challenges, the improvements in our capability and the changes in our workforce mean we are in a good place to meet them head- on. And that is critical, as many civil servants will have important roles to play in ensuring there is economic stability and excellent public services.

There is of course plenty of room for further improvement. We must operate with pace and professionalism while retaining pride and passion in our traditional values.

I am looking forward with excitement to the months ahead. There will be new challenges, but I know that the civil service will meet them stronger for our reliance on those traditional values of honesty, objectivity, integrity and impartiality. In the midst of uncertainty and rapid change, there is something reassuring that these values may soon be enshrined in law through the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill – a mere 157 years after the Northcote-Trevelyan report first recommended it!