This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23250854

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Ministers to 'hand pick' civil service staff Move 'lazy' civil servants, says Sir Jeremy Heywood
(about 3 hours later)
Francis Maude has unveiled a package of measures aimed at ensuring ministers - and not civil servants - call the shots in government departments. Some civil servants are "lazy" and need to be moved from their jobs, the head of the civil service has said.
Ministers will be able to hand pick more of their top officials - and permanent secretaries will serve five-year terms renewable on performance. Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood was defending a scheme in which 10% of staff judged to be the worst performers are moved from their posts every year.
The move is meant to ensure ministerial instructions are carried out. He also backed allowing ministers to "hand-pick" staff in their private office and limit permanent secretaries to five-year terms.
But unions fear it will lead to a politicisation of the civil service and could undermine its work. Unions have called the plans "blatant politicisation" of the civil service.
Civil servants are meant to give politically neutral advice to ministers, with their impartiality guaranteed by continuity of service, no matter which party is in Downing Street. Sir Jeremy said suggestions top civil servants were opposed to a major revamp of the way the civil service operates, launched last year, were "wide of the mark".
Under the scheme, the top 25% performers in each government department are rewarded - some with cash bonuses - and the bottom 10% identified for action to improve their performance or be moved out.
'Churn'
No figures were available for the numbers who left their posts, but Sir Jeremy said there had been a willingness to implement the scheme, as "nothing annoys good civil servants more than seeing lazy civil servants going year after year without addressing that performance problem".
The government is frustrated with the pace of change in the civil service since the reforms were launched last year.
Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude now wants further changes to ensure ministers - rather than civil servants - call the shots in their departments.
Under Mr Maude's plans, ministers' private offices would be bigger and officials, including policy experts brought in from outside the civil service, would be personally appointed by and report to the secretary of state.
Some Whitehall staff would also report directly to ministers rather than other civil servants.
The most senior officials in each department - the permanent secretaries - would be appointed on five-year "fixed-tenure appointments".
The aim is to reduce the "churn" that has recently seen top civil servants stay in their posts for less than four years.
The five-year terms will not be timed to coincide with general elections, in order to maintain the principle that impartial civil servants can serve governments of any party. There is no indication how big the expanded private offices should be.
'Accountable''Accountable'
But Mr Maude is frustrated by the pace of change in the civil service, which has been dramatically reduced in size since the coalition came to power. Mr Maude insisted the UK would not go down the American route, where new administrations bring in their own people, but he said there was a problem with senior civil servants sidelining ministers.
"Ministers' offices are meant to be there to serve the ministers. All we are saying is we should formalise what should be the case, that these offices are appointed directly by the ministers and accountable to them," he told the BBC News Channel. "You don't want to have a sense, which some ministers have mentioned to me, that sometimes it feels like the department's office is being lent to the minister," he told the BBC News channel.
The Cabinet Office minister wants the civil service to be more businesslike in the way that it operates, with more focus on policy delivery and cost control.
He denied the changes would lead to a politicised civil service.
"We think the current system, where we have a politically impartial civil service, which is capable of serving any government with equal enthusiasm and dedication and passion and commitment is a very important part of how Britain can be made to be really successful."
But he added: "It has to be the case that ministers need to feel that their offices are their offices, not the department's office, and that's the change that we will put in place.
"You don't want to have a sense, which some ministers have mentioned to me, that sometimes it feels like the department's office is being leant to the minister.
"It needs to feel like what should be the reality, that it's the minister's office, directly accountable to the minister.""It needs to feel like what should be the reality, that it's the minister's office, directly accountable to the minister."
'Fixed tenure' But Dave Penman, general secretary of senior public officials union the FDA, which represents about 18,000 civil servants, warned about politicisation of the civil service.
Under Mr Maude's plans ministers' private offices would be bigger and officials will be personally appointed by and report to the secretary of state. "The danger is that ministerial offices staffed by personal appointees will ultimately be loyal to their minister, not the taxpayer," said Mr Penman.
Some Whitehall staff would also report directly to ministers rather than other civil servants. "Support in this context is likely to mean ministers hear what they want to hear, but not what they need to hear.
The most senior officials in each department - the permanent secretaries - would be appointed on "fixed tenure appointments" and there would be no presumption that, after five years in the job, their contract would be renewed. "The destabilising effect of this approach should not be underestimated - the last thing anyone needs is further turmoil through the ranks of the civil service every time there is a reshuffle or election."
Senior public officials trade union the FDA - which represents about 18,000 civil servants - warned Whitehall could be politicised, with mandarins depending on politicians for their careers. The Institute for Government think tank said a long-serving senior civil servant should be put in charge of the larger ministerial private offices to prevent politicisation.
General secretary Dave Penman said: "We remain very concerned that the danger is that it will lead to politicisation rather than personalisation. IFG director Peter Riddell said: "An expanded private office headed by a politically appointed chief of staff risks becoming an alternative power base within the department and could disengage the minister from their department."
"We see that it is a good idea giving ministers more support, but we see real dangers in personal appointment by ministers of an extended group of civil servants."
Prime Minister David Cameron has charged Mr Maude with reforming the way government departments are run but said last year he did not want to see the system of a "permanent civil service" changed and rejected the idea of moving to a French or American system.
One of his most senior advisers left Number 10 in 2012 frustrated that the civil service stifled some of his more radical ideas. Steve Hilton reportedly said British "bureaucracy masters the politicians".