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| Political churn hampers Brexit, even with extra Whitehall staff | |
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| After years of cuts, the UK civil service is growing again and has taken on 8,000 additional staff since June 2016, mainly to deal with the government’s preparations for Brexit. Despite this, ever-changing ministers have impacted the government’s ability to pass crucial legislation and deal with urgent public service challenges. | After years of cuts, the UK civil service is growing again and has taken on 8,000 additional staff since June 2016, mainly to deal with the government’s preparations for Brexit. Despite this, ever-changing ministers have impacted the government’s ability to pass crucial legislation and deal with urgent public service challenges. |
| So far, only five of the nine new bills needed for Brexit have been introduced by the government. The EU withdrawal bill is behind schedule, which in turn is squeezing the time available to pass the 1,000 pieces of secondary legislation required for the UK’s exit from the EU. | So far, only five of the nine new bills needed for Brexit have been introduced by the government. The EU withdrawal bill is behind schedule, which in turn is squeezing the time available to pass the 1,000 pieces of secondary legislation required for the UK’s exit from the EU. |
| But these are not the only challenges facing Whitehall. The civil service has grown considerably and now employs some 392,000 staff, but it is still not diverse enough. Of the five permanent secretary appointments made last year, as many – two – went to men with the surname Rycroft (in the Departments for International Development and Exiting the European Union) as to women. | But these are not the only challenges facing Whitehall. The civil service has grown considerably and now employs some 392,000 staff, but it is still not diverse enough. Of the five permanent secretary appointments made last year, as many – two – went to men with the surname Rycroft (in the Departments for International Development and Exiting the European Union) as to women. |
| It is also still more difficult than it should be to find basic information about what civil servants do and how much departments spend. Over a fifth of all spending over £25,000 by departments in 2017 has yet to be published. | It is also still more difficult than it should be to find basic information about what civil servants do and how much departments spend. Over a fifth of all spending over £25,000 by departments in 2017 has yet to be published. |
| Not surprisingly, newly-created departments like the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department for International Trade continue to grow, while other departments with a heavy Brexit workload, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Business, Energy and Industrial strategy, have also seen increases. | Not surprisingly, newly-created departments like the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department for International Trade continue to grow, while other departments with a heavy Brexit workload, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Business, Energy and Industrial strategy, have also seen increases. |
| By 2020, the civil service aims to be the UK’s most inclusive employer and launched a diversity and inclusion strategy in 2017, but the latest annual report on Whitehall published by us at the Institute of Government shows that while there have been real improvements, there is more still to do. | By 2020, the civil service aims to be the UK’s most inclusive employer and launched a diversity and inclusion strategy in 2017, but the latest annual report on Whitehall published by us at the Institute of Government shows that while there have been real improvements, there is more still to do. |
| Of the five permanent secretary appointments last year as many - two - went to men with the surname Rycroft as to women | Of the five permanent secretary appointments last year as many - two - went to men with the surname Rycroft as to women |
| Women now make up 41% of senior civil servants – the highest proportion ever. The representation of women across the civil service as a whole has improved markedly over the past two decades, but it remains the case that for each step up in grade, the lower the proportion of women. Only five departments are headed by female permanent secretaries. | Women now make up 41% of senior civil servants – the highest proportion ever. The representation of women across the civil service as a whole has improved markedly over the past two decades, but it remains the case that for each step up in grade, the lower the proportion of women. Only five departments are headed by female permanent secretaries. |
| The proportion of civil servants from an ethnic minority background, where we have data, has steadily increased in recent years to reach 11.6%. But this remains below the UK population as a whole and progress on improving the representation of ethnic minority staff at the senior civil service level has stalled. | The proportion of civil servants from an ethnic minority background, where we have data, has steadily increased in recent years to reach 11.6%. But this remains below the UK population as a whole and progress on improving the representation of ethnic minority staff at the senior civil service level has stalled. |
| There is also a gap between the representation of disabled civil servants across the whole service and at the most senior grades. Disabled civil servants (where known) now account for 10% of the workforce, up from 7.6% in 2010 but below the 18% of the working-age population with a disability. Just 5.3% of senior civil servants are disabled. | There is also a gap between the representation of disabled civil servants across the whole service and at the most senior grades. Disabled civil servants (where known) now account for 10% of the workforce, up from 7.6% in 2010 but below the 18% of the working-age population with a disability. Just 5.3% of senior civil servants are disabled. |
| The civil service leadership clearly takes these issues seriously. From April more data on Whitehall staff will be published to ensure further progress on diversity. We will all benefit from a government that uses data to govern more effectively and it’s crucial that the government continues to publish and use data more broadly, beyond just details of its workforce. | The civil service leadership clearly takes these issues seriously. From April more data on Whitehall staff will be published to ensure further progress on diversity. We will all benefit from a government that uses data to govern more effectively and it’s crucial that the government continues to publish and use data more broadly, beyond just details of its workforce. |
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