Whitehall focus Unions fight civil service politicisation

3 Mar 05
Senior civil servants have attacked proposals to draft managers committed to government policies into Whitehall.

04 March 2005

Senior civil servants have attacked proposals to draft managers committed to government policies into Whitehall.

Jonathan Baume, general secretary of the FDA union, which represents senior Whitehall staff, criticised proposals to introduce 'zealots' across departments, citing instead his commitment to an independent bureaucracy.

Appearing before the Commons' public administration select committee on February 24, Baume said he saw no value in proposals outlined by Ed Straw, a public services partner at accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers, in his 2004 pamphlet The dead generalist.

Straw called on the government to relax Whitehall's tradition of civil service independence to drive through radical internal and political policy reform.

Former mandarin Sir Michael Bichard has also endorsed a system whereby permanent secretaries would become accountable public figures akin to ministers.

But Baume warned: 'I totally disagree with that. We have recently had Straw's pamphlet where he is in favour of zealots; civil servants personally committed to a particular policy.

'However, we've seen examples recently where civil servants have appeared to stray into that, and policies have gone very wrong. It is not the role of the civil service to be personal proselytisers for a particular policy initiative.'

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, expanded: 'I think there has been far too much evidence of late of imposition; bringing in what are seen to be modern techniques… [that] do not accept that part of the beauty of the civil service is the skills contained within it.'

The PASC is investigating the effectiveness of the civil service and, by association, assessing the impact of Whitehall reforms.

Charles Cochrane, secretary of the Council of Civil Service Unions, and Paul Noon, the general secretary of Prospect, joined Baume and Serwotka at the hearing. The union leaders rejected MPs' suggestions that Whitehall structures made the civil service opposed to reform.

Noon said: 'We have been arguing for a process of reform, very often against ministers who did not want to see it.'

Cochrane warned there was a problem with morale and that opposition to some reforms grew out of uncertainty.

'We have the Spending Review, the Gershon report, the Lyons relocation and the pension proposals, and we have continuing difficulties about pay.

'All of those are having an impact on morale, whether they are in Whitehall or a local office in the north of Scotland.'

MPs critical of 11 minutes allowed to issue visas

Staff responsible for vetting UK visa applications have just 11 minutes to process each one, leading to 'a worrying tension' between fast turnaround and proper quality control, MPs have warned.

The Commons' Public Accounts Committee said the time constraints on staff at UKvisas, the joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Home Office agency responsible for issuing visas, does not give them enough time to scrutinise supporting documents adequately.

According to a report published on March 1, the result was that 'at times, staff felt that efficiency took precedence over the application of effective controls'.

UK visa applications have soared by 33% over the past five years, the MPs found, placing the entry clearance operation under significant strain.

Committee chair Edward Leigh said: '[11 minutes] is surely too little time to look closely at the supporting documents. I urge UKvisas to look at whether more time is needed for rigorous scrutiny of applications.'

Foreign Office minister Chris Mullin said the targets outlined in the ministry's new Public Service Agreement, effective from April, would tackle the problem. From that date, officers will have 15 days to process applications requiring checks or an interview, up from the current ten-day limit.

'These will provide reassurance that visa officers are able to devote appropriate time to those applications that need more detailed scrutiny,' Mullin said.

The committee also criticised the Home Office for dismissing staff concerns that business visas were being granted to Bulgarian and Romanian applicants who were using fake business plans.

Staff told the MPs they would have granted visas to fewer than one in ten of the 7,000 individuals admitted.

Staff at MoD agency fear privatisation fait accompli

Ministry of Defence officials have recruited a major investment bank to advise them on the possible sale of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency — despite assuring staff it had no plans to privatise the service.

The MoD has asked Morgan Stanley to undertake a three-month 'market test' to gauge interest from potential buyers for the body, which employs 3,800 engineers to maintain the Royal Air Force's aircraft.

Morgan Stanley will report back to the MoD this summer, but Dara staff fear the decision has already been made to privatise the agency to slash costs at the MoD. Public Finance understands that Dara's four sites could be sold off individually.

The union Prospect said it was 'bitterly disappointed' about the potential sale and claimed Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon assured union leaders that Dara would remain in public hands at a meeting in February.

Prospect negotiator Jim Cooper said: 'This could leave the agency at the mercy of companies like BAe Systems and Rolls Royce.'

An MoD spokesman said: 'No decision has been made. We await the result of the consultation.'

PFmar2005

Did you enjoy this article?

AddToAny

Top