03 September 2004
The civil service is 'dangerously short' of scientific and technical staff, and the cuts outlined in Sir Peter Gershon's efficiency review pose a grave risk to vital services, according to a Whitehall union.
Prospect is warning that the government's 'obsession' with cost-cutting will seriously compromise its ability to respond to crises such as the foot and mouth outbreak in the future.
General secretary Paul Noon, whose organisation represents government scientists and other specialists, told Public Finance that the obsession with cutting costs was leading to the 'dumbing down' of Whitehall.
'The days of the gifted amateur are over. If you don't have people coming up through the system, then vital expertise will be lost,' he warned. 'The government is busy trimming its housekeeping bills when the fabric of the building is subsiding.'
Privatisation of services such as air traffic control and defence research has already seen the union's civil service membership fall by more than a third to 40,000 in the past ten years, Prospect says.
The government's plans to cut 104,000 civil service posts, 20% of the total, in light of the Gershon review, will inevitably result in a further loss of highly trained professionals.
Prospect claims it will lead to job cuts in crucial areas such as national security, law enforcement, public health and regulation. It is also warning that the recommendations of Sir Michael Lyons to relocate 20,000 civil servant outside London will have a similarly negative impact.
The union, which published its study, Intelligent staff, intelligent government on September 1, attacked the government for turning civil service bodies into 'dumb customers'. It blames the split between purchaser and provider for depriving many departments of the skills and independent advice needed to procure effectively.
Prospect cites the increased and widespread use of consultants as evidence that government policies are killing in-house expertise. Prospect has joined the other civil service unions in tabling motions at this month's Trades Union Congress conference criticising the Gershon agenda. Noon confirmed that his union would consider taking industrial action to protect its members' jobs.
The Treasury gave a terse response to Prospect's concerns. A statement said: 'Peter Gershon's report was a comprehensive and rigorous review of procurement, back-office services and work practices. We make no apology for implementing recommendations that will shift the focus from back room to front line and deliver improvements in the quality of public services that will be welcomed by users.'
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