29 October 2004
MPs are to conduct a major inquiry into every aspect of the civil service amid fears that Sir Peter Gershon's reforms could decimate Whitehall expertise and leave departments at the mercy of consultants.
The Commons' public administration select committee has signalled its intention to scrutinise civil servants' functions, career structures, skills base and relationships with politicians, as well as the likely impact of the Gershon and Lyons reviews.
But, in an interview with Public Finance, PASC chair Dr Tony Wright denied that the committee's investigation had been motivated by fears that plans to lay off 84,000 Whitehall staff and relocate 20,000 more would damage the civil service.
'There is a radical reform programme in place and we want to see if the civil service is fit for purpose and whether the reforms are going in the right direction,' he said.
Paul Noon, general secretary of Whitehall union Prospect, told PF that rigorous parliamentary scrutiny of the Gershon agenda was 'crucially important'. 'What we need is not to cut but to strengthen in-house capacity so it can act as an intelligent customer. The government can be taken to the cleaners by contractors,' he said. 'These reforms are potentially hugely damaging.'
The PASC intends to break the bounds of current government policy in its inquiry and consider whether there is a case for a public service spanning the whole of the sector, encompassing Whitehall, local government, the NHS and other service providers.
PFoct2004
